All's Fair in Love and War
by TitansRule
Summary: REVISED! An attempt to join the X-Men failed, but it did rekindle an old friendship. Lance and Kitty ignore those who think they won't work and take on the world together. Full summary/parings inside; YouTube trailer link on my profile.
1. Thanks for the Memories

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. Just the plot. Please don't sue me; I have no money. At all. No, really, I don't.**

**'All's Fair in Love and War' started when I was watching 'Growing Pains' and I wondered why Lance was so surprised Kitty wasn't willing to forgive him and that got me thinking; what if 'X-Impulse' wasn't completely accurate? What if Lance and Kitty were friends in Northbrook? Would their relationship have been as awkward or would it have been easier? I have written a one-shot prequel to this called 'Lost' which is quite angst-heavy, but this fic will be as angst-free as I can make it.**

**Parings: Lancitty, Jott, Romy, Amyro (Pyro/Magma), Jubby (Bobby/Jubilee), Rahm (Sam/Rahne), Xietro (Pietro/X-23). If you don't support these pairings, but want to read this fic, I welcome you with virtual open arms; just don't flame these pairings, since I will just point and laugh. You have been warned.**

* * *

Chapter One – Thanks for the Memories

**September 1994…or is it?**

Katherine Pryde – better known to her friends and family as 'Kitty' – and Lance Alvers had but one dream.

The two had been nearly inseparable since two years previously when Lance, new to the area, had noticed in his first week that Kitty was barely eating, despite her friends' pleas. Finally ignoring the 'none of his business' aspect, he had sought her out one lunch break, shoved a sandwich into her hand and told her to 'eat, before you kill yourself'. Stunned that a stranger cared, Kitty had done as she was told and the two had gotten to talking.

The rest, as they say, was history.

Six months ago, amidst the panic of the discovery of the tectonic fault line that lay beneath the state of Illinois, Lance had discovered that he was a mutant, who could create the very things they were living in fear of: earthquakes.

Bypassing his aunt and uncle, whom he lived with, and his mother, who was suffering an emotional breakdown several hundred miles away, he confided only in Kitty, who stayed by his side, despite the fierce migraines he suffered in the first few weeks.

Now she herself had developed a mutation; that very morning she had woken to find that she had fallen out of bed and managed to pass through the floor of her room and through the floor of the living room, finally landing on the floor of her basement.

And, conveniently, this brings us back to their dream.

Northbrook High School had, as do most schools and businesses, an internal email system. When the system was first installed, the teachers became fed up with chain emails being sent around the school and blocked it so that only the administrator's computer could send an email to the entire student body at once.

This was, if nothing, a challenge, especially to these particular students, who often found themselves in lessons below their abilities and used the spare time trying to work out how they could beat the system.

Of course, with Kitty's new powers, this challenge was severely diminished, and this was why they found themselves huddled over the computer in question, in the still-locked administration office, trying to hack into the software.

As yet another password came up as incorrect, blue eyes met brown in a look that any onlooker would describe as exasperated, but Lance knew his best friend well enough to know that the system was no match for her and that the look she had just given him was amusement at the lengths the teachers had gone to stop this from happening.

"They'll know it was us, you know." Kitty commented, trying another combination. "There's only so many in this school who would be able to do this and Vice Principal Burgess already blames us for everything including the current state of the economy."

"Yes, but you forget, Kitten, that Principal Fisher thinks that you are the incarnation of all that is good in the world." Lance reminded her, planting a kiss on her cheek, eliciting a smile from her.

Everyone who saw the two together, including her parents and his aunt and uncle, thought the two were boyfriend and girlfriend, as opposed to best friends, because of how comfortable the two were with physical contact, but, for the moment at least, their relationship was purely platonic.

"That's true." Kitty conceded. "Hah! I'm in!"

Before either could do anything else, however, the lock clicked and the door swung open.

"Katherine!"

Kitty winced as her mother's voice echoed the room. Only when she was in serious trouble did her mother use her full name. Slowly, she twisted round to see her parents in the doorway with another girl about Lance's age, with vibrant red hair and green eyes, who Kitty didn't recognise.

"This is breaking and entering, kids; you know that, don't you?" Mr. Pryde asked seriously.

"Well, _technically_, what we did was just entering." Lance answered. "_That_ was breaking and entering."

Standing up, Kitty elbowed him in the side. "Not helping, Shakedown. Look, we're sending a prank email; it's not like we're breaking into Fort Knox." She glanced curiously at their companion.

Taking the hint, she held her hand out. "My name's Jean Grey; I'm from the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters up in New York."

"Nice to meet you." Kitty shook her hand, racking her memory for any exams she'd taken recently that might have doubled as a scholarship. She couldn't think of any other reason why she'd be with her parents, but even that didn't make sense. Contrary to popular belief, Kitty needed work extremely hard to maintain her straight-A record, unlike her best friend, who had the irritating ability to achieve the same grades with half the work, despite the general belief that she was the smarter of the two, which, in some ways, she was.

Their strengths and weaknesses complimented each other perfectly, which was one of the reasons they were so close.

Jean must have seen the bewildered expression on her face, because she held her hand out again and Kitty's school bag, which was lying on the floor beside the desk, lifted into the air and floated into its owner's hands. "The Institute was set up by Professor Charles Xavier to teach young mutants, like us, how to control and use our powers for good."

This was starting to make more sense, but Kitty was still confused. "How did you find out? I only told Lance."

"Professor Xavier developed a computer called Cerebro." Jean answered. "It picks up strange energy signatures and pinpoints the location and cause."

Kitty looked at Lance. "You ever heard of these people?"

"Never." Lance shook his head.

"So this computer…" Kitty said sceptically "…picked me up as a mutant, but missed Lance?"

Jean moved her gaze from Kitty to Lance, and her brow furrowed slightly. "You're mutant? I don't know how we could have missed it."

"Well, I've got a hunch." Lance admitted. "You said it picks up energy signatures, right?"

"Right." Jean confirmed. "It sends a message to the main-frame computer telling us what the signature is and then the Professor goes down to Cerebro to define it."

"So if an earthquake showed up around a fault line, you'd assume it was natural, wouldn't you?" Lance pointed out.

Jean nodded. "We have noticed tremors round here, actually. You're right; we shouldn't jump to conclusions. Well, now that's worked out, we'd be delighted if…"

All five stumbled suddenly as a tremor shook the building, rattling the windows in its frame.

"Lance, please tell me that's you!" Kitty almost lost her footing as another tremor, stronger this time, made itself known below them.

Lance caught her as she fell into him. "I swear, Kitty, I'm not doing this. Can you get us out of here?"

"I…I don't know." Kitty admitted. It had taken more energy than she'd expected when she phased just the two of them into the room; she wasn't sure that another three people wouldn't be beyond her ability.

She looked up into her best friend's eyes and saw the same worries reflected there and she took her mother's hand, knowing that her father was already holding the other one and that Lance would have taken Jean's arm.

However, when Kitty concentrated, the strange sensation she'd felt earlier was nowhere to be found and she knew, as chunks of ceiling plaster began caving in, that she had very little time to decide which of her companions to leave behind.

As if reading her mind, Lance pulled Jean closer and placed her hand in Kitty's before moving out of the line. "Now go."

"Lance, I can't…" Kitty protested.

"Yes, you can." Lance insisted. "You have to. I'll be fine."

Against her better judgement, but with no other option that she could see, Kitty tried again and felt the now-familiar tingling travelling up her body and down her arms into her passengers, who, by their startled expressions, felt it too. Pulling them towards the wall, she phased them all through the brick to the relative safety of the grounds outside.

Much of the school had already succumbed to the force of the earthquake, and Kitty knew she had seconds to pull Lance out, but, as she spun around, the office collapsed before her eyes, burying the room they had just been in and her best friend along with it.

Unable to hold back the scream of horror that escaped her lips, Kitty lurched forwards, stopped by her father seizing her around the waist. Forgetting about her powers and ignoring his assertions that it was too dangerous, she fought to get free; the earth continued to shake, debris continued to fall and, like the destroyed office, her world tumbled to the ground around her as she collapsed in her father's arms, tears streaming down her face as sirens rent the air: police, ambulance, something she didn't recognise…

Wait a minute…

Her eyes flickering open, Kitty rubbed at her eyes, trying to rid herself of the suppressed memory that had haunted her for more than a year.

Only when she was awake did she realise that the last siren in the dream hadn't stopped; if anything, it had gotten louder. "What the _hell_ is that _noise_?!"

When no body had been recovered after a week of searching, Lance Alvers had been officially listed as missing, presumed dead, and Kitty arrived in Bayville to join the X-Men in a state of numb shock, having had to bury her best friend. After five months at what she considered to be rock bottom (no pun intended), she had discovered that Lance was alive and well, but in the Brotherhood of Mutants and was now considered her enemy. Hurt, she had thrown herself into her training; the boy she once knew a mere memory, vanished into the mutant she thought of only as Avalanche.

Then Magneto and Mystique had disappeared after the fight at Asteroid M and she began to see Lance more and more. The Brotherhood stopped being 'the bad guys' and became merely rivals.

If only her team-mates thought that way.

Even phone conversations had to be undertaken in secret, because they were afraid of him 'corrupting her'. When Scott had first commented on this, Kitty had refrained from telling him that he was giving Lance too much credit; she had been a willing participant in any mad things they'd done in Northbrook; hell, a lot of them had been her idea. What the X-Men saw as corruption was, in reality, Kitty's old self returning, the numbness of what she'd seen as betrayal lifting and allowing her to see life clearly again.

This particular dream had plagued her every night for several months, the memory haunting her; although logically she knew that there was nothing she could have done, she couldn't help feeling that she should have been able to prevent the whole thing. Because of that, she already lost sleep; the last thing she needed was the current siren keeping her from her rest.

Across the dark room, her room-mate, Rogue, sat up as well, running a sleepy hand through her striped hair to get rid of the tangles. "Bit early, isn't it?"

"What the hell is that?" Kitty asked again, feeling sure she should be able to place the noise.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "I think you'll find that's the intruder alarm, Kit."

"Oh, damn." Throwing her covers off her and shivering as the cold January air hit her, Kitty stalked over to their shared closet, brushing aside day-clothes to reach the two spandex uniforms at the back.

Throwing Rouge's across the room at her, Kitty slipped into her own, before tying her hair back into her trademark pony-tail. "Who in their right mind would break in at this time of the morning?"

"Kit, it's only five o'clock!" Rogue called after her.

Kitty ignored her; every one of her team-mates knew that she was not a morning person and Saturdays were the only morning when there was no reason to wake up early.

Jogging along in her wake, Rogue slowed down to wait for Scott and Jean, who were joining them from another corridor. "Morning."

"Morning." Jean replied, as Scott nodded a greeting. "What's with Kitty?"

"You just answered your own question." Rogue told her. "It's morning. I just feel sorry for whoever's breaking in."

"Why?" Scott asked.

Rogue rolled her eyes again. "Because they've got to deal with a pissed-off Shadowcat as well as Wolverine. I'm not sure which is worse."

"Shadowcat." The two answered in unison immediately; they knew how bad Kitty's temper could get.

Ignoring her team-mates' byplay, Kitty phased through the front door, to see that Ororo, Kurt and Evan had beaten her to it. "Alright, we're up! What's happening?"

Kurt pointed wordlessly at something behind her and she turned to look into a very familiar pair of brown eyes. "Lance? What are you doing here?"

"That's a very good question, Kitty." Scott ground out from behind her.

"Yeah." Logan added. "Something we can help you with, bub?" The question was punctuated by the unmistakeable sound of Logan unleashing his claws.

Once again, Kitty found herself in the awkward position of choosing between Lance and her team. As the X-Men closed in around her, clearly readying themselves for a fight, she focused on Lance, trying to read his intentions.

Once, this would have taken a glance into his eyes, but nowadays, his expression was always guarded, so she resorted to analysing the scene in front of her.

He was dressed for battle, in his uniform and helmet, but the only evidence of his powers was in the form of the gates, which had been bent open. Over one shoulder, he was holding a duffel bag and she knew immediately what had happened. "Most people knock, you know."

"Kitty…" Scott began.

Kitty held up a hand. "I don't think he's here for a fight, Scott."

"I'm not." Lance confirmed, moving slightly so that Kitty was standing between him and the other X-Men; he knew better than them what her temper was like. "I've come to join the X-Men."

**

* * *

**

AN: Oh, before I forget, I changed their ages, because it suits this fic; Lance was born January 29th 1979; Kitty was born July 29th 1981. And this is an AU, so please don't flame me telling me what I've got wrong; chances are I know. Review please!


	2. Welcome to Mutant Manor

**Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing.**

Chapter Two – Welcome to Mutant Manor

**

* * *

**

January 1996

Several hours later, having shown Lance to a room and made her way tiredly back to bed, Kitty forced herself to get up and into a warm shower, noticing as she did so that the temperature hadn't improved.

Finally dressed, but still bleary-eyed, Kitty stumbled downstairs to the kitchen, where breakfast was always held. She paused at the door to give herself time to prepare and phased through the door, allowing several Jamie clones to dash through her. Out of experience more than anything else, she moved around the kitchen, avoiding forgotten pieces of toast, various articles of fruit Jean was unsuccessfully levitating onto people's plates and a couple of eggs that Bobby decided to throw over to whoever had requested them.

As she fell into a chair, someone pressed a mug into her hands and she took a sip of hot coffee, sighing as the warmth spread through her, noting that it was made exactly as she liked it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Too tired to put a name to a voice, Kitty didn't bother. "I had the weirdest dream last night."

"Did Lance join the X-Men?" Rogue asked from somewhere behind her. "We all had that dream, sugar."

Not entirely sure what she meant, Kitty took another few gulps of coffee, before her mind cleared and she glanced over to the person that had given it to her.

Lance grinned. "Morning."

"Morning." Kitty returned, a smile appearing on her own face. "I thought it was rather vivid. Still, training this morning; we'll see if that smile's still there then."

"Oh, how bad can it be?" Lance asked rolling her eyes.

Kitty laughed, drawing several curious glances from her team-mates; it was well-known that she needed several gallons of coffee before she had the energy to smile and she'd only had several gulps. "Oh, just wait."

"Half-pint!" Logan called from the door. "I want a word with you."

Grimacing, Kitty downed the rest of her coffee and headed to the door, dropping her mug in the sink on the way. "What's up, Mr. Logan?"

"Suit up." Logan told her shortly. "I want you to sit in on the training sessions today; try and keep the water calm between Cyclops and Avalanche."

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "I walk through walls, Wolverine; I don't do miracles."

"Watch it, Half-pint." Logan warned, only half-seriously. "I've got a hunch you know the kid better than you're letting on."

Kitty sighed, letting her eyes roam the hallway. "Alright, we were best friends in Northbrook."

"And you haven't mentioned this before, because…?" Logan prompted.

"No one's asked." Kitty shrugged. "'Sides, if I tell them now, I'll have to deal with explaining why I never mentioned it when Mystique was around."

"Why didn't you?" Logan asked, clearly not about to let things go.

Kitty could feel herself getting irritated. "I don't know. I guess I couldn't read Avalanche as well as I could Lance; I didn't think it'd matter. I'd just lost my best friend; I didn't need the grief over who he was."

To her surprise, Logan didn't comment on the tone she knew had crept into her voice, but changed the subject. "I want to conduct an initiative test just before lunch. When someone suddenly starts drowning, which one of them will have the presence of mind to run for the life-preserver?"

Kitty nodded slowly. "Okay…One question: who in their right mind is going to go swimming in weather like this?"

* * *

An hour or so later, after several…interesting training exercises, to say the least, Kitty found herself following Logan as he passed up and down in the space between the New Recruits, now including Lance, and the uncovered swimming pool, lecturing about taking the initiative and keeping your head during a crisis.

Or rather, Logan was lecturing, Kitty was contemplating how strange it was seeing Lance in an X-uniform.

Not that it looked bad, a small voice inside her head commented slyly.

Just strange.

It was at that moment that her earlier question was answered.

"So here's your scenario." Logan announced. "There's been an accident around the pool; what do you do?"

With these words, he pulled the clipboard out of Kitty's hands, handed it to Jamie, picked her up and tossed her into the pool.

As her body hit the water, Kitty screamed at the freezing temperature of the water; she could swear she broke through a thin layer of ice as she was submerged in icy water.

Emerging with a gasp, she saw eight people sprinting backwards towards where she knew the life-preserver was kept and forced herself not to swim for the edge, resorting to treading water instead.

Somewhere in her mind, she realised that there should have been nine people trying to reach the life-preserver, but this same realisation was punctuated by another loud splash. Then strong arms were winding around her waist and someone was pulling her towards the pool ladder and she found herself in Lance's arms, utterly bewildered. "What happened to the life-preserver?"

"It's gone to be mended." Lance answered, letting her to the ground. "Professor Xavier told everyone this morning."

At this the other New Recruits look sheepish and Logan slapped his hand against his forehead. "Dammit! Of course it has! Shadowcat, Avalanche, inside and get dried off before you both catch hypothermia. Everyone else, lunch is in fifteen minutes."

Kitty had already started moving and Lance had to jog to catch up with her. "You okay?"

"Fine." Kitty answered shortly. "Just mad at Wolverine; all he had to do was ask and I'd have dived. I don't know why you jumped in though; you could have just pointed out that the preserver wasn't there and he'd have cancelled the session."

"Yeah." Lance glanced over his shoulder at the others. "But I wanted a chance to sweep you off your feet."

At that moment, the others caught up with them, cutting any further conversation short and leaving Kitty to ponder just what he'd met.

* * *

_I wanted a chance to sweep you off your feet_.

Several nights later, Kitty lay awake, unable to sleep, still wondering. Since Magneto and Mystique had gone, they had become close again, but they were still just good friends, despite what the X-Men and Brotherhood believed.

But did he want something more?

More importantly, did she?

Was that the reason why he made her whole day better just by smiling at her?

Was that the reason why she made excuses to hold him or touch him?

Was that the reason why she didn't want him to let her go earlier?

It would be difficult, she knew; it was hard enough just being friends…then again, they were on the same team now…

_For how much longer?_ A snide voice asked. It wasn't the same voice that had commented on the X-uniforms earlier.

Kitty groaned, rolled over and buried her face in her pillow._ This must be what Rogue feels like_.

For the last couple of mornings, the X-Men had been waking up to discover that vehicles had been wrecked during the night.

Scott, of course, had pointed the finger immediately at Lance, with no provocation or proof whatsoever.

Although she had to admit that she had no other suspect in mind, Kitty knew that Lance wouldn't do something stupid like that and, if he had, only the milometer would have given any indication that the vehicles had been taken at all.

As Kitty finally began to doze off, speculations of the perpetrator flying around her head, along with unsolved feelings and questions, the knocking started.

Sighing, Kitty sat up again, looking across to see if Rogue had heard, but the other girl merely twitched slightly and continued sleeping peacefully. Climbing out of bed, she slipped to the door and opened it.

"Lance, what are you doing here?"

"Ssh!" Lance warned, glancing around. "I … What are you wearing?"

Kitty looked down and felt a blush heat her cheeks. Her nightwear comprised of an old shirt she had been given in Northbrook … which had originally belonged to him. "I … er … never got round to giving it back."

"Keep it." Lance told her. "Looks better on you anyway. Come on."

"Where are we going?" Kitty whispered, following him.

Lance didn't answer her. He led her through the dark, silent corridors until they reached the underground hangar. Emerging on to the observation deck, Kitty heard a familiar low hum beneath them that negated her need for an answer. "They're not…"

_The only people who would … They are in __so__ much trouble …_

"They are." Lance corrected grimly, as the Blackbird rolled out from underneath them. She took his hand and pulled her towards the railings. "Start phasing!"

* * *

The next morning, a full week after Lance had joined, Kitty had overslept. As if returning the Blackbird wouldn't have been difficult enough on its own, Jubilee had managed to spark the controls.

For once waking up immediately, Kitty sat up, rubbing her eyes and getting ready to give Bobby, Jubilee and Sam the lecture they escaped the previous night. _Should have known those two were behind it. _She showered and dressed quickly, all the while berating herself for not seeing it sooner.

The two had been friends since they met and practically inseparable since the day both had decided to replace all the shaving cream in the mansion with whipped cream.

In many ways, they reminded Kitty of herself and Lance back in Northbrook.

Just as she was about to leave the room, Rogue burst in herself. "He's leaving!"

Kitty blinked. "Pardon?"

"Lance." Rogue elaborated. "He's leaving."

Kitty took an automatic step back. "What? But he didn't do it; it was…"

"We know." Rogue said heavily. "He tried to take the blame for it, but Bobby 'fessed up. All three of them are on probation."

"So why is Lance leaving?" Kitty asked, trying to work her head around it.

Rogue shrugged. "Says it's not working; none of us are ready for that sort of change yet."

"He's probably right." Kitty muttered. "'Scuse me." Slipping past Rogue to Lance's old room, she found him packing his duffel bag. "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?"

Lance smiled weakly. "Course not, Pretty Kitty; you're just the hardest."

Kitty narrowed her eyes at him. "If you call me that one more time, I swear I'll…"

Lance interrupted. "You'll tear out my intestines, wrap them around my neck and use them to strangle me. I know."

Now it was Kitty's turn to smile. "I need to think of some new threats; that doesn't seem to work anymore."

"You never follow through with it." Lance told her, shouldering his bag.

Kitty knew he wasn't surprised that she walked with him down to where his jeep was parked, not in the garage, but just past the gates in the park.

There were two parks in Bayville – an official park and an unofficial park – and the Institute was separated from the Boarding House by five miles of dirt track bordered by the unofficial park, which was technically wood-land left over from that within the grounds.

"You know, Jamie's going to miss you." Kitty commented, watching Lance heave his bag into the front seat. "You're the only person who doesn't treat him like a baby."

"Well, I never had a little brother." Lance grinned at her. "He's a good kid. And he thinks the world of you."

Kitty nodded silently, knowing why that was, but sworn to secrecy. "I'm going to miss you as well."

Lance sighed, turning to face her. "Kitten, I'm only going down the road."

"Do you really believe that?" Kitty challenged quietly, turning her head so he couldn't see the tears sparkling in her eyes.

He always did know her too well.

"Kitty…" A calloused hand cupped her face, turning it gently so she could see his own. "I'm leaving them. Not you. I shouldn't have come; the Brotherhood needs me. Mystique didn't exactly leave us with a lot."

"Have you told Daniel and Samantha?" Kitty asked, lifting her head.

Lance shook his head. "No. Apparently Mystique didn't tell them where I was going; they were kinda worried."

"'Kind of'?" Kitty repeated. "Lance, we thought you were _dead_! I went to your _funeral_!"

"God, no wonder you were mad at me!" Lance groaned. "I'm so sorry, Kitten; I had no idea."

"What about your mom?" Kitty whispered, not wanting to open up the old emotions the current subject invoked. "Could she help?"

Lance sighed. "Kitty, I haven't talked to my mom since I moved to Northbrook. As far as I know, nothing's changed and Mom isn't any better."

Kitty grimaced sympathetically; Mrs. Alvers' breakdown was prompted by her husband's passing followed by her daughter – Lance's twin sister – collapsing, falling into a deep coma. She knew how close Lance had been with his sister and how much it had affected him. "You have to do something, Lance; it's not fair that you have to live like this."

"Well…" Lance hesitated. "I'll go home for spring break, see how she's doing. Everything will be fine, Kitten. And I promise that nothing is going to change between us."

Kitty closed her eyes. "Lance, what are we?"

"We're friends." Lance answered. "Good friends."

Kitty opened her eyes again, silently begging him to continue, an uncomfortable lump in her chest.

"I don't think we can be anything more, Kitty." Lance whispered, taking her hand. "As much as I'd like to. Not until things have settled down."

"You could stay." Kitty told him. "That would make things settle down."

"Kitty, I wish I could." Lance tugged her hand gently and she moved forwards, feeling his arms encircle her, holding her in an embrace that was secure and comforting. "But I can't."

Kitty pulled back slightly to look up into his face. "You would like to be something more though?"

"Well…yeah." Lance admitted.

"Me too." Kitty agreed softly. "But not now?"

"Not now." Lance confirmed. "It'll happen, Kitten; I want you with me too badly for it not too." He dipped his head and brushed a kiss against her lips, a simple gesture that was heavy with emotion, before releasing her and getting in the car. "If I'm not in school Monday, you can assume that duct tape was involved and I'll need your help. Especially if the others are wearing large smirks. See you later, Kitten."

"Yeah." Kitty murmured automatically. "See you."

She barely noticed Lance driving away; her lips were tingling from where his had touched hers, her legs were trembling from the weight of his words and her mind was spinning.

_You're right, Lance. It will happen. You will be mine. You already are._

Smiling to herself, Kitty turned slowly and headed back inside. She knew she wasn't going to play this game for long.

**

* * *

**

AN: Reviews make my day and I've had a really bad one. So direct the arrow onscreen to the button and click; it won't take long! You know you want to!


	3. Change of Plans

**Disclaimer: I own the plot, nothing else!**

* * *

Chapter Three – Change of Plans

**April 1996**

By spring break, the X-Men and the Brotherhood had both settled back into their everyday lives, apart from a bout of vigilante-ism by Jean, Tabitha, Kitty, Rogue and Amara, which was cut short by NYPD when they realised that the girls were doing their jobs better than they were, so the 'Bayville Sirens' had to hang-up their outfits.

But that was all said and done and forgotten about, and most of the X-Men were focusing instead on trips home.

Everyone was going home for two weeks vacation, except for Scott – who had lost his parents – Rogue and Ray – who didn't know their parents – and Jamie – who had been disowned by his parents.

In the midst of people rushing out to catch flights, trying to get lifts to airports and just general chaos, Kitty was trying to hold a conversation with her mother on the phone.

Now, Kitty didn't particularly get along with her parents and was actually dreading spending another two weeks with them. In fact, she'd already used every excuse she could think of twice to ignore their calls. And that was just since January.

But now Kitty found herself quite glad that she'd answered the phone; not only did she get out of helping everyone else, but her mother was calling to tell her that some old colleagues had called and invited her parents to some sort of reunion up in New Hampshire, so she couldn't come home.

"No, Mom. No, that's fine … What? No, I don't think you're avoiding me!"

Now Kitty thought about it, however, they had been very cold over Christmas. She knew that they hadn't really had a chance to react to her mutation and knew that it would blow up sooner or later. She just hoped she wasn't there when it did.

"No, I'll be fine." Kitty rolled her eyes at Jean, who was reading a book and pretending not to be eavesdropping. "I love you. You too. Bye." Hanging up with a sigh that was crossed between relief and frustration, she threw herself onto the opposite end of the couch.

"Trouble?" Jean asked casually.

"Not really." Kitty sighed. "Mom and Dad are going to New Hampshire for spring break; it's a 'no kids' thing. On the one hand, I'm happy I don't have to put up with them; on the other, I think they're avoiding me. Plus, this means I have to stay here. Which I don't really mind, but if Scott comes up with more of those 'extra credit' DR sessions, I'll kill him."

Jean put her book down. "You can come and spend spring break with my family if you like."

Kitty was surprised. Although Jean had been an irreplaceable pillar of support during her first few months at the Institute, the two had never been what one might call close friends. "Are you sure? I mean, won't your mom want a say in this?"

Jean sighed and beckoned her closer. "Promise me this'll stay between us?"

"Yeah, of course." Kitty told her. "What is it?"

"My dad died when I was twelve." Jean explained. "And my powers appeared a week later."

"Oh yeah." Kitty remembered. "You ended up in a coma, didn't you?"

Jean nodded. "When I woke up a year later, my older brother told me that my twin had gone to stay with relatives, because Mom was having some sort of break-down. She still thinks he's better off without her and tends to have slight relapses when everyone's around, because he's not there. The more people there are, the more she has to do, you see? So you'd be doing me a huge favour as well."

"Well, I can't say no to that." Kitty tried to lighten the mood, but failed miserably. "Where is he now?"

"With my aunt still." Jean admitted. "I haven't got any contact details and I don't want to read Mom's mind for them in case…" She trailed off with a shrug. "I miss him."

Kitty hugged her spontaneously. "I'm there. Thanks for the invite."

But despite her gratitude, a little voice in the back of her head told her that something was strange about the whole thing.

Of course, no one ever listens to the little voice in the back of their heads.

* * *

Like Kitty, Amara's holiday plans had been changed abruptly. Unlike Kitty, this wasn't a welcome event.

Since the young princess's move to America, her home country had become much more open to change and returning for visits was now a lot easier, since she could get flights now.

Unfortunately, it was still a very rare destination and Amara found herself in the irritating situation that the pilot had scarlet fever, delaying her flight by a day.

While this normally wouldn't have been a problem, after phoning the Institute to let them know, she then found herself in the company of Bradley Sherri, who had taken her to dinner once.

It had been, for lack of a better term, a disaster.

It was amazing, she had growled to Kitty upon her return to the Institute, how many times he could mistake 'Get your hands off me' for 'Take me; I'm yours'. In the end, only a well-placed knee to his groin had gotten the message across.

Now she found herself wondering how many people could ignore a young girl getting chased through the backstreets of Bayville. To make matters worse, her flight had been very late, so there weren't that many people to ignore her. She thanked their training sessions, knowing that any other girl of her age would have given up by now, even with the adrenaline keeping her going.

But still, he was right behind her.

Round a corner, Amara skidded to a halt, finding herself staring at a very high brick wall. Spinning around again to see that Brad had stopped in the entrance to the alleyway, she began to back up, considering her options. The wall was too high to climb, the entrance too narrow to slip past him. Kicking him again, she seriously considered, even if just for the hell of it, but she knew that she'd still have to catch him off guard.

Her back hit the wall and her heart-rate increased, knowing that there was little she could do to stop what was about to happen without using her powers and, without proper control, she could end up roasting him alive. When she missed curfew, it was possible someone would come to find her, but by then it would be too late. His eyes travelled over her, making her feel slightly nauseous, and she closed her eyes, her bag falling from her hand. "Please just leave me alone."

The only response she got was a low chuckle. "Not gonna happen."

Then…

"I believe the lady asked you to leave her alone."

At the Australian-tinted voice, Amara's eyes snapped open. In the entrance of the alleyway, silhouetted in the light of the only unbroken street-light, stood a boy slightly older than her.

"This is none of your business." Brad snarled, but with a little less confidence. "Back off."

The boy strode past him and turned to face him, standing between him and Amara. "I've decided I'm gonna make it my business." He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled something out.

The dim light reflected off of metal and, for one heart-stopping moment, Amara thought it was a small hand-gun, but then he moved it behind his back and flicked the top and she realised that it was a small lighter.

"Besides," he continued, "haven't you heard about the ghost around here?"

"Ghost?" Brad repeated. "What ghost?"

"Oh, yeah." The boy said casually, but Amara could hear a smirk in his voice. "Years and years ago, there was this guy whose girlfriend was late to meet him. He found her around here, being attacked by a gang of vagrants. He tried to stop them, but they turned on him."

"What did they do to him?" Amara asked curiously, unsure whether he was making it up or not.

"They burned him alive." The boy answered immediately, flicking his lighter with more desperation. "He swore revenge and they say that anytime a young lady is being taken advantage of, he will rise again, still aflame, to protect her, the way he couldn't protect the woman he loved."

Brad laughed. "You're bluffing."

Amara had to agree. There was no fire-ghost about to … She froze, focusing on the empty lighter. Was it possible…?

Carefully, she looked past him at Brad, who was focusing on his new obstacle. Then slowly, very slowly, she lifted her hand and pointed at the lighter and quietly, very quietly cleared her throat, just enough for her saviour to hear her.

The second he glanced round to look at her, Amara, praying that she wasn't wrong, summoned a small flame to her fingertip and sent it to the lighter.

True to her guesses, he caught it and refocused on Brad. "Bluffing?" He stepped out of the way. "Go on then. I dare you."

The second Brad had passed, a great fire-warrior arose behind him, brandishing some sort of club.

"Doesn't look too happy with you, mate."

Amara couldn't hold back a giggle as her pursuer spun around, turned a lovely shade of grey and sprinted away, screaming in a surprising high pitch.

The fire sank back to the ground and rose again, this time in a small ball of light, allowing both to see each other clearly.

He was taller than her by about a head with red hair almost the same colour of the fire above them and aquamarine eyes that were looking at her with an expression of concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Amara assured him, but couldn't hold back a shiver.

"Here." He slipped his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Amara smiled at him. "Thank you. I'm Amara Aquilla, by the way."

"John Allerdyce." He responded, with a lopsided grin.

"Thanks for just now." Amara gestured to the flame. "I thought … Well, it doesn't matter what I thought."

John's eyes darkened and he glared in the direction Brad had disappeared. "No lady deserves to be treated like that."

Amara nearly melted. _Oh … my … God … good-looking, similar powers, well-mannered … there has to be a catch. _"How long have you lived in Bayville?"

"About eight months." John answered. "Moved here from Australia."

"Same." Amara nodded. "Except I moved from Nova Roma. It's a small country in the middle of the Pacific." She explained when he looked lost. "No one ever hears of it."

"I see. So what's a nice girl like you doing out so late at night?" John asked with a slight smirk, leaning against the wall.

"My flight got cancelled." Amara explained. "It's not exactly a common destination. And then I ran into Prince Charming. You?"

John shrugged. "This and that. Not quite the same though; it's a bit more dangerous for a pretty girl to be in this part of town."

Now it was his eyes passing over her, but this sent a tingling sensation down her arms. _I am very attracted to this guy. _However, common sense told her that she needed to get home. "I'd better go; they're expecting me back … I'll miss curfew at this rate." She moved to slip the jacket from her shoulders, but he stopped her.

"Keep it. I … er … I guess, since your flight was cancelled, you're going back in a couple days?"

"To Nova Roma?" Amara checked. "Yeah. Just for Spring Break. Why?"

John shrugged. "Just wondering."

"Okay." Amara checked her watch and retrieved her bag from her feet. "I've really got to go now. Thanks for everything."

"Wait!" John called as she reached the entrance to the alleyway. "Will you be alright?"

Amara smiled. "Yeah. He's all talk. Can you … can you get rid of that?" She gestured to the light.

John shook his head. "No. I can control it, increase it, or diminish it, but I can't create it or extinguish it."

"I've got it then." Amara held out her hand and the fire vanished, leaving them once again in semi-darkness.

"Wait." John said again. "Will I see you again?"

"That depends." Amara responded. "Do you want to see me again?"

She could hear the grin in his voice. "Oh, definitely. You know the park? That gazebo thing?"

Amara thought for a second. "Yeah."

"Two weeks tomorrow?" John asked. "Seven o'clock?"

Amara counted up. "Sure. I'll see you then?"

"Yeah." John nodded. "See you."

With a wave, Amara set off back towards the Institute in a jog, thinking about the young man she'd just encountered. Something about him made her uneasy, which didn't make sense, because he seemed the perfect guy.

When it came to John Allerdyce, there had to be a catch. And she was determined to work out what it was.

**

* * *

**

AN: So tell me what you think; it'll only take a few minutes!


	4. Family & Allegiances

**Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

Chapter Four – Family and Allegiances

**April 1996**

By the next morning, Amara still hadn't worked out what the catch was. All she knew was that she had a date with a great guy when she got back to Bayville.

Unfortunately, this all came crashing to the ground before she could even leave the mansion to catch her flight.

"Amara, I need a word with you!" Ororo called from the elevator down to the lower levels.

Amara paused, her hand on the front door. "Ms Munroe, I've got a flight to catch."

"This will only take a few minutes." Ororo assured her. "Follow me."

Dropping her bag with a sigh, Amara jogged over to her teacher, joining her in the elevator. The small room took them down into the depths of the Institute, the part that visitors knew nothing of, where the very heart of the X-Men beat silently, keeping them safe and protected.

Amara had only been down to this part of the Institute a handful of times, only to access the Danger Room or the hangar where the jets were kept.

But today Ororo led her down a different corridor, down past cases that held spare X-uniforms, a couple of which were identical to those which belonged to Cyclops, Jean, Spyke, Rogue, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat.

"Why are these down here?" She asked quietly, very aware of her voice echoing through the metal-lined tunnel. "I thought everyone kept their uniforms in their closets."

"They're here just in case something happens that would mean we were unable to access the main house." Ororo explained. "We also keep copies in both jets."

"Oh." Amara nodded in understanding. "I always wondered how they always seemed to have their uniforms on hand. What exactly are we doing down here, Ms Munroe?"

"Professor Xavier asked me to give you a warning." Ororo answered grimly, typing in the access code for the room that held the main-frame computer.

"A warning?" Amara repeated cautiously. "What kind of warning?"

"Magneto is back in the area with new acolytes." Ororo told her. "We want you to be ready in case of an attack."

"Okay." Amara frowned. "Why just me?"

"Because one of them has powers that would render you helpless against him." Ororo explained quietly. "He would be able to turn anything you throw at him against you and don't get me started on what would happen if you were to attempt a full transformation."

Amara shivered as Ororo searched the database. She found the move to Bayville more daunting than any of her team-mates; America was a good century ahead of Nova Roma when it came to technology, not to mention a lot bigger. Although she had already had a big wake-up call when it came to how vulnerable she was around humans, she had always taken for granted the fact that her powers would protect her from mutants. "How though? What's different about me?"

"He's pyrokinetic." Ororo replied. "Not to be confused with pyrotechnics, which are fireworks. This young man can control and manipulate fire, the very thing you create."

Now Amara felt another chill run through her, one of a completely different sort, as John's face appeared on the computer, a dangerous, slightly-crazed smirk on his face. _Ah. There's the catch._

* * *

The drive from Bayville to Philadelphia was only about two hours and the two girls passed the time by telling stories and anecdotes and generally learning more about each other. Kitty had never really talked to Jean, but found now that the older girl reminded her very much of someone…she just couldn't put her finger on who that person was.

Jean's mother, as it turned out, lived just outside Philadelphia in a beautiful red-bricked country house, the sort of place Kitty had always imagined Jean growing up.

There was only one other car outside and Jean pulled in next to that, a wide smile on her face. "I hadn't realised how much I missed home."

Kitty looked around. There wasn't another house nearby that she could see, just rolling fields and patches of trees. "I bet this was a fantastic place to grow up."

"It really was." Jean agreed happily. "Mom used to rent out the field behind to this lady who owned horses and she taught us how to ride on them. And in the winter, Dad used to take us sledging down that hill over there."

Kitty couldn't help noticing the note of sadness that entered into Jean's voice when she talked about her father. "What happened to him?"

"He had a heart attack." Jean answered quietly. "In the supermarket."

Kitty nodded silently, not quite sure what to say, settling for squeezing her friend's arm sympathetically. Again, she had a distinct sense of déjà vu, even though she was sure that Jean had never told her this before.

"Oh," Jean added, scanning her key-ring for the right key, "Mom kept her maiden name when she married; I took it as well." She unlocked the door and let them both in. "Mom, I'm home!"

A woman appeared out of one of the doors, wiping her hands on a towel, and it was apparent immediately that Jean was the spitting image of her mother, except for her eyes. Whereas her daughter's eyes were a deep emerald-green, Ms. Grey's eyes were a warm chocolate brown that seemed to inspire confidence and that Kitty was sure she'd seen somewhere else.

"Jeannie, it's wonderful that you're home, dear." Ms. Grey hugged her only daughter tightly and turned to Kitty, clearly expecting an introduction.

"Mom, this is Kitty Pryde." Jean told her. "Her parents suddenly decided to go away for Spring Break, so I invited her to stay with us."

Ms. Grey shook Kitty's hand. "And I'm happy to have you here."

Kitty smiled shyly. "Thank you, Ms. Grey."

"Call me Sara, dear." She told her with a wide smile. "Jean, show her to a room, drop off your things and meet me in the kitchen. I've got some fantastic news."

Looking bewildered, Jean did as she was told, leading Kitty up two flights of stairs to the top floor of the house, where all the rooms were tucked under the eaves. "You can have the room that joins on to mine." She told Kitty, opening the door to a pleasant primrose-coloured room that overlooked the gardens. "Just chuck your stuff on the bed; I want to know what Mom's got up her sleeve."

"I love this house." Kitty commented. "It's like something out of a story-book."

"You see it too?" Jean asked knowingly. "When I was little I used to love playing make-believe, especially up here. The boys preferred being outside, but I wasn't very well as a child, so I stayed in. I swear my telepathy made everything more real back then."

"That, or it's just a child's imagination." Kitty commented, knowing what she meant.

The two girls headed back downstairs and met up with Sara in the kitchen, where she was kneading dough, her red hair tied back into a messy top-knot.

"What are you making?" Jean asked, stealing the near-empty bowl and two spoons, handing one to Kitty before digging her own into the leftover mixture.

"Cookies." Sara answered. "There's very little to do around here with all you kids gone. And speaking of kids, guess who's coming for Spring Break?"

"Not…" Jean trailed off. When her mother nodded, she squealed loudly. "Oh my God!"

"I take it," Kitty rubbed her ear, "that the prodigal son returns?"

Sara laughed. "Well, that's one way of putting it." She sighed. "There's just the matter of how we'll explain your mutation, dear."

"Oh, he'll be alright." Jean dismissed, levitating the baking trays to her mother. "I used to read his mind when we were kids."

"Yes, but there's a big difference between reading your twin's mind and being able to control people's thoughts." Sara reminded her.

"She's right, Jean." Kitty pointed out quietly. "Look at my parents."

Jean grimaced. "Yeah, I suppose you've got a point. He and Eric will have to park around the back though; I took the space in front. And there's nowhere else really to park out there unless you block people in." She glanced at Kitty. "Although there's not much of a problem with your power, is it?"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Yeah, if you want to risk me losing my hold when we're half-way through another car and blow us both up."

"You phased the Blackbird." Jean reminded her.

"The Blackbird was going about a hundred miles an hour." Kitty wiped a bit of cookie dough from her hand. "Probably faster."

Sara sighed. "Do I want to know?"

"No." Both girls answered.

"Then I won't ask." Sara decided. "Jean, come with me a minute; I want to talk to you about this." She put the baking trays in the oven. "Do you mind staying to keep an eye on those cookies, Kitty?"

"Not at all." Kitty assured her, watching the two disappearing into the hall. Scooping the last of the cookie dough into her mouth, she dropped the bowl and spoon into the sink, then, thinking better of it, washed them off and put them on the side, just in time for voices to begin approaching the back door.

"So it's three a.m. and I'm up this tree, right…"

The door opened and a dark-haired young man a few years older than her entered, accompanied by a girl about his age with honey-coloured hair, who was giggling hysterically.

As both did a double-take at the sight of her, Kitty thought briefly about asking what he was doing up a tree at three a.m., but decided better of it and held her hand out. "I'm Kitty; Jean invited me."

"Oh." He shook her hand. "I'm Eric; Jeannie's older brother. And this is Chloe."

The girl shook her hand as well. "Hi."

"Do you know where Mom is?" Eric asked, taking Chloe's coat and hanging it on a peg next to the door.

"Talking to Jean." Kitty shrugged apologetically. "I don't know exactly where; sorry."

"Don't worry." Eric grinned at her and, again, there was something familiar. "We'll find her." He took Chloe's hand and pulled her out of the kitchen, causing her to break into giggles again.

Kitty grimaced. She never did get along too well with girls who giggled that much.

As her gaze wandered around the kitchen, it fell on a photograph that hung on the wall next to the fridge. Curious, she approached it and it became apparent that it was a professionally-taken portrait of a family group.

Sara Grey, notably younger, stood wrapped in the embrace of a man who must have been Jean's father; his eyes were the same shade of green. Both were smiling, happiness shining out of their eyes.

_I don't think I've ever heard his last name. _Kitty mused, as her gaze moved to the three children.

Standing in front of his parents, Eric stood with a cheeky grin, different to that which she'd just been given. Maybe the death of his father and collapse of his mother had forced him to grow up faster.

In front of him, seated, were Jean and her twin. Again, Kitty realised that she'd never heard his name, but their smiles were almost identical.

The twins were glancing at each other, as if they were sharing some private joke that was just for them to know.

Then Kitty focused on the brother as an individual and something struck her so hard that she forgot to breathe for a few seconds.

Her surroundings seemed to disappear; the sound was muffled, even as a car door slammed outside and voices began to approach the back door again.

_I can't believe I didn't realise it before!_

"I can't believe you stowed away."

_Sara's eyes; Eric's smile._

"Oh, lighten up; you've been saying that for the last hour."

_The story! That's where I've heard it before!_

"You could have just asked."

_It was all so obvious!_

"I wasn't getting stuck with them for two weeks."

_No wonder everything seemed so familiar!_

"Whatever, just don't break anything."

The back door opened behind her, but she didn't bother turning. She knew who was there.

_I didn't need to be told his name._

"Mom, I'm home!"

_I already know._

"Kitten, what are you doing in my mom's kitchen?"

Now, Kitty turned.

Turned to see the same eyes she'd recognised in Sara.

Turned to see the same smile she'd seen on Eric's face.

All combined in Lance Alvers.

She smiled. "You'll never believe me."

**

* * *

**

AN: I'm British and I've never been to America, let alone Philadelphia, and I'm basing Jean's mum's house on a house near where I live, so I apologise if it's incorrect. So what do you think? Press the button and tell me please!


	5. Playing with the Big Boys

**Disclaimer: I own none of this, except the plot.**

* * *

Chapter Five – Playing With the Big Boys

**April 1996**

For a few minutes, Lance just looked at her, probably trying to decipher her cryptic response. Kitty waited, knowing he'd ask if he needed to.

Tabitha wasn't so patient. "Try us." Her smirk spoke novels more than her words.

Kitty directed a grin towards her ex-team-mate. "Lance's sister invited me."

With a thud, the bag Lance was carrying fell to the floor. "She…she's awake?"

Shifting her gaze from Tabby to Lance, Kitty felt a pang of sympathy and couldn't help glancing behind her to the photograph, seeing again just how close the twins had once been. Focusing once again on his face, she reached out to touch his hand. "She's been awake for about two and half years, Lance. You know her. She lives in Bayville."

"She…she…she what?" Lance stuttered.

Tabby moved to stand next to Kitty, her eyes travelling over the portrait. "Bloody hell…is the resemblance between mom and daughter as strong as I think?"

"Yeah, it is." Kitty confirmed, struggling to hold back a laugh, even as she felt bad for finding the situation funny.

"And she has her father's eyes?" Tabby asked, another smirk sliding into place.

_I swear she's been taking lessons from Quicksilver._ Kitty nodded, feeling her resolve crack as Tabby began laughing.

"It's not that funny." Kitty chided, a small giggle escaping her lips regardless.

Tabby called her on it. "If it's not funny, why are you laughing?!"

"Because you are!" Kitty managed to choke out. "It's not my fault! Laughter's infectious!"

By the time Lance had digested the fact that his twin sister had been living in the same town as him, the two girls were practically crying with laughter, now laughing for no reason other than laughter itself.

"Kitty!" Lance groaned. "Can't you just tell me what is so bloody funny?!"

Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, Kitty pulled herself together. "Lance, look at your mom in that photo, give her your dad's green eyes and stick her in an X-uniform and tell me who she is."

Lance narrowed his eyes at the picture, then, suddenly, they widened in shock. "Shit!"

"You watch your language, young man!" Sara appeared in the doorway behind him. "What's happened?"

Kitty sobered up abruptly. "Well, it's a funny story. You see, Lance and I were best friends back in Northbrook."

"Oh, how wonderful!" Sara's eyes widened suddenly, as she apparently connected the young man in front of her with the boy who had moved away three and a half years ago. "My Lord … Lance?"

"Hi, Mom." Lance smiled weakly at her and she wrapped her arms around him with a choked sob, holding him tightly.

"Where have you been?!" Sara asked. "Why didn't you come home?"

"I didn't know Jeannie was awake." Lance answered shakily.

"I told Aunt Maggie she was." Sara insisted.

"Oh, that explains it then." Lance sighed. "I was staying with Uncle Daniel and Aunt Samantha in Northbrook."

"Well, at least you're here now." Sara kissed his forehead, not having to stoop to do so.

Lance smiled. "Oh, Mom, this is Tabitha Smith."

"Hello, Tabitha." Sara shook her hand. "Please call me Sara. Are you two…?"

"No." Both answered quickly. "No, definitely not."

"She's my…" Lance paused, as though wondering how to describe it.

"Team-mate?" Kitty finished.

Lance glanced at her. "Yeah, I suppose you could call it that."

Kitty smiled. "Lance, she knows about Jean; just tell her." She threaded her arm through Tabby's. "Come on, we'll go and find Jean; give her advanced warning."

This caused the slightly wistful expression that had appeared while Sara had greeted her lost son to vanish in a heart-beat as Tabby stifled another giggle.

They found Jean in the dining room, laying places for dinner. As they walked in, she glanced up, greeted them, carried on, then realised who exactly had walked in. "Tabitha! Well, this is a surprise; what are you doing here?"

Tabby smirked at her, but there was no malice in it. "Your brother invited me."

The plate in Jean's hand fell to the floor. Thankfully, her telekinesis was calmer than she was and it froze in mid-air before floating to the table. "How do you know my brother?"

"Oh, I think you know, Jean." Kitty told her. "Let me give you a hint; he's mutant as well."

Jean closed her eyes and fell into a chair. "I knew it."

"Well, yeah, it couldn't have been that hard." Tabby commented. "He can't look that different."

"Mom was convinced he went to stay with Aunt Maggie in Colorado." Jean whispered. "When I saw him in Northbrook … I just thought it was a coincidence. He didn't, did he?"

"No." Lance answered from the doorway. "I was with Uncle Dan."

"Yeah, I guessed that." Jean looked up, her eyes suspiciously shiny. "I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry about?" Lance asked. "And please don't bring the X-Men into this."

"In that case," Jean stood up, "I retract my apology." She hesitated, her eyes searching his. "I really missed you."

"Oh, come on, Jeannie; don't cry." Lance said, a smirk playing on his face.

"Don't call me Jeannie!" Jean snapped, her tears quickly drying up. "And isn't there something _else_ you'd like to say?"

Lance wasn't even bothering to hide his smirk now. "Like, "Mom, Jeannie's overdoing it again!"?"

"No!" Jean rolled her eyes. "And I never was 'overdoing it', Lance; you're just a sore loser. No one likes…"

"…a sore loser." Lance finished, his smirk fading into a soft smile. "I know. And I missed you too."

"Good." Jean walked forwards and hugged him tightly. "I thought I'd have to lock you in the cubby place again."

"What's the cubby place?" Kitty asked curiously.

"There's a small room that joins onto the library." Lance explained, still holding his sister. "I think it was for children to hide in during the war or something, but you can only reach it through this little gap between the bookcases. I hate it in there."

"I didn't know you were claustrophobic." Tabby commented, a gleam in her eye.

"I'm not." Lance groaned. "Whatever you're thinking, don't."

* * *

The next two weeks passed by far too quickly for Kitty's liking. Her relationship with Lance had almost returned to the way it was in Northbrook and, to her considerable relief, Jean and Tabby had accepted their closeness without question.

The two girls themselves were also getting along a lot better, which was a stretch in itself, seeing as, on the surface, they had nothing in common. Who knew they actually liked the same kinds of music?

But all too soon it was time to return to reality and Jean and Kitty walked through the front door of the Institute to be bombarded by information.

"Jean, that holiday project's due on Monday!"

"Did you hear? Magneto's back in town!"

"With the Brotherhood 2.0; I don't want to sound unprofessional, but yum!"

"Wolverine's running a training session this evening."

"We're not supposed to know this yet, but there's a Sadie Hawkins' Girl's Choice Dance coming up! And, Kitty, I need your help!"

"Kitty!" Jamie's voice rose above everyone else even though it was coming from the rec room as opposed to the entrance hall; since his arrival, he'd adopted Kitty as a 'big sister', seemingly because she was the first person he met. "Bobby stole my Gameboy again!"

Jean quickly disappeared with Scott to finish their project, leaving Kitty to deal with everyone else. She sighed wearily. "Thanks for telling me, Kurt, but I think Mr. Logan would have done that anyway. Evan, unless he starts something, we don't have to worry. Jubes, try not to make Bobby too jealous and don't give me that look; you know what I mean. Amara, come with me." She took her team-mate by the arm and led her towards the stair, pausing outside the rec room only long enough to call, "Bobby, give Jamie his Gameboy back before the doctors have to remove it from your colon!"

Once they were in Kitty's room – Rogue was in the rec room playing table football with some of the New Recruits (and beating them by the sounds of it) – Kitty closed the door. "Okay, what's wrong?"

While she unpacked, Amara told her how Brad had cornered her outside the airport, forcing her to flee, whereupon she was rescued by a tall, handsome stranger who demonstrated similar powers and then asked her out.

Kitty cut her off. "Amara, you're making it sound like a romance novel; what is the problem here? He sounds perfect?"

Amara sighed. "He works for Magneto! That's the problem! And now I'm due to meet him this evening and I don't know what to do!"

Kitty nodded thoughtfully, perching on the edge of her bed. "Out of interest, why do you think I can help you?"

"Well, you and Lance…" Amara began.

Kitty held up a hand to stop her. "I thought that might be it. Look, Amara, we are in two completely different situations: Lance doesn't work for Magneto, I have the advantage if something goes wrong and, more importantly, we were best friends for two years before we were enemies; I trust him with my life. You have just met this guy; he could be up to anything."

"But he could have attacked me then." Amara pointed out.

"Not if he didn't know you were with us." Kitty refuted quietly. "Anything could have happened in the last two weeks."

Amara sighed again. "Kitty, the other reason I asked for your advice is because…Well, I want _your_ advice, not anyone else's."

Kitty thought for a second. "I think … I think you should go for it. I can't imagine Magneto would bother – no offence – if it was one of us, maybe…"

"That's what I thought." Amara nodded.

"But be careful." Kitty warned. "And don't use your powers." She paused. "And if anyone asks, I was totally against this."

* * *

On the other side of Bayville, in the depths of Magneto's new headquarters, John Allerdyce was lounging in a chair, daydreaming about the girl he'd met two weeks ago.

Sabretooth was in the gym, thankfully, and Magneto was plotting in his office. John wasn't entirely happy with his work, but it paid and, so far, there wasn't anything actively wrong with it. He had yet to mention Amara to either of them; Sabretooth wouldn't care and Magneto would just try to recruit her and he wanted to give her that option first. If she didn't want to join them … well, he wouldn't blame her.

He also hadn't mentioned her to Colossus, who was … somewhere. He hadn't really been paying attention when he left; the Russian was so quiet he was easily overlooked.

But Remy LeBeau, Gambit, Prince of Thieves, wouldn't take no for an answer and, despite the fact he'd heard all the details several times, he was leaning against the wall, shuffling a set of playing cards in a way that alerted John that a repeat was imminent.

"Could you cut that out, mate?" John asked, not opening his eyes. "You're giving me a headache."

"_Désolé_." Remy tucked the deck into his pocket. "So tell me again what y' know 'bout this girl?"

John sighed, but didn't begrudge him the conversation topic. "Her name's Amara Aquilla, she can create fire, she's from Nova Roma and I swear on my mother's grave that she's the most beautiful woman on this earth."

Remy pulled a face. "Where in God's name is Nova Roma?"

Now John opened his eyes. "We've had this conversation about seven times and you're only _just _focusing on that?"

"There were more important things to be focusing on, mon ami." Remy winked at him. "Where is it?"

"Apparently it's a small country in the middle of the Pacific." John shrugged. "Don't ask me, mate; I've never heard of it."

Remy shook his head pityingly and pulled up a chair in front of the computer, typing _Nova Roma_ into the search engine.

"Hey!" John protested, finally leaving the comforts of his favourite chair. "You told me not to Google her!"

"You're not doing anything, Johnny-boy." Remy cracked his fingers. "I am. And I'm Googling Nova Roma; I never said not to do that. Here we are. It's a small province…name means _New Roman'_…" He paused. "Hello, what's this? What did y' say her name was again?"

"Amara Aquilla." John repeated. "Why?"

"Because 'Aquilla' is the family name of the royal family." Remy smirked. "Looks like your girlfriend's been holding out on you."

"She's not my…" John began, but was cut off when Remy cursed loudly. "What?"

Remy glanced over his shoulder to check they were still alone and pointed wordlessly at something on the screen.

John leaned in to read the small print. _Latest news: Heir to the throne, Her Royal Highness Princess Amara has recently moved to New York, USA, to be educated there. She will be staying at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters in Bayville. _"Shit."

* * *

Amara approached the gazebo in the park slowly, both excited and nervous, unsure of what to expect. Her mind seemed to have been left in the Danger Room and was analysing every small sound for possible danger. But she reached her destination with incident and let herself relax just a little.

John was already waiting for her, his face breaking into a smile at her appearance, but something must have shown in her demeanour, because he sighed. "You know, don't you?"

Amara nodded. "They took me aside and warned me. And you know as well. How? I didn't think Magneto was bothered with us newbies?"

"Gambit Googled Nova Roma." John admitted. "I wasn't going to tell him. But I swear he's got some kind of radar when pretty girls are on the cards."

Amara felt her face heat again and felt glad for the dim light. They were in a rather secluded part of the park, away from the lamps that illuminated most of the area, and, unless they were being followed, it was unlikely that anyone would see them. Throwing caution to the wind, she summoned a ball of flame and sent it into the air, letting it hover there so they could see each other's faces clearly.

"Can I assume that we're not about to get ambushed?" She asked, more calmly than she felt.

"Of course." John answered immediately. "Gambit's the only one who knows where I am and he's a closet romantic, so he won't say anything. What about your end?"

"I don't think anyone saw me leaving." Amara responded. "No one we need to worry about anyway." Finally allowing herself to drop her guard, she moved over to where he was sat on the grass under the wooden structure and took a seat beside him. "So…" She reworded the question in her head several times, before giving up. "So why'd you join Magneto anyway? I mean, he's a bit of a bastard and you're … not."

John smirked weakly. "Thanks." He sighed. "It's complicated. And a long story."

"We've got time." Amara prompted gently.

John nodded. "That's true. Okay … Even before my powers, I was a bit of a pyromaniac. I was careful, of course. Never burnt anything more than needed." He pulled his lighter from his pocket and flicked it back and forth a few times; his eyes lingering on the flame for a few minutes before making it disappear. "My sister, Caroline … she was a few years old than me … she had this boyfriend. On and off, they were. She was either madly in love with him or cursing him to hell, never in between. One day, I got fed up with it. I told him to back off and leave her alone. And he did. Caroline came storming into my room, yelling at me. How dare I interfere? I argued with her; told her he hurt her and I was sick of seeing it. That was when my powers came. There were a few lit candles around, it being me. The flames got bigger and bigger … Caroline was screaming … When I woke up, I was in hospital, on suspicion of arson. My entire house had burnt down; my parents had…"

He took a deep breath and his voice wavered for the first time; she reached over and took his hand, feeling his fingers close around hers. "My parents had been killed. Caroline and I, amazingly, survived, even though we'd been in the room where the fire started. Caroline vouched for me that neither of us had gone anywhere near the candles and they decided it was a tragic mishap. When we were out of hospital, she told me that she knew I'd done it and that it was an accident, but she didn't want me anywhere near her. After a few weeks, I ran into Magneto; he told me he knew the truth and I had a choice: either I could work for him or he'd turn me in. I asked him what the work entailed. He said it was keeping people like us safe and I agreed. End of story."

"Wow…" Amara squeezed his hand comfortingly, feeling relieved that the extent of her own power emerging was lighting the fire in the main room at home. "So mutant supremacy never came up then?"

"Never." John confirmed. "And I hate what I do. But it's a job and so far he hasn't come up with any reason for me to leave." He slipped his lighter away. "Out of interest, what are the chances of us having to fight each other?"

"Slim to none." Amara answered honestly. "I'm one of the new recruits, so Cyclops and the others don't think we're experienced enough to handle Magneto, even though we've been training for the same amount of time as they had when they faced him for the first time. Plus, even if I did fight, they'd keep me away from you, because of our powers. Besides, the way I see it, and correct me if I'm wrong, Magma and Pyro are on opposing teams, right?"

"Right." John confirmed, and she could see the question in his eyes, see him wondering why she'd used their code-names.

"But John and Amara aren't." Amara finished, knowing that this separation was the excuse Kitty used to keep spending time with Lance. "So we wouldn't be doing anything wrong if we were to hang out every now and then, would we?"

"No, we would." John corrected, reaching out with his free hand and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear; she felt her skin spark where his fingers brushed against her cheek as he did so. "It just wouldn't be wrong enough for us to care. And, on that note, you up for dinner?"

Amara smiled sweetly as he helped her to her feet. "I think that is a very good idea."

* * *

Jean Grey did not need telepathy, Rogue decided grumpily as she watched the two begin the walk into town, still hand in hand. The older girl had noticed Amara leaving and had managed to talk Rogue into keeping an eye on her, allowing her to absorb just enough of her powers to make sure she was safe, although Jean hadn't elaborated on whether 'she' was Amara or Rogue herself.

Upon arrival, however, Rogue found herself thankful for the extra powers. It took her a while to catch up with Amara, but she caught enough of her companion's explanation to tell he was being blackmailed. He wasn't lying.

As the two disappeared, Rogue sighed and made to return to the Institute. Her way was barred, however, by another young man several years older than her.

"And what are y' doin' here, _chérie_?" His voice was heavily accented and she recognised the twang as from Louisiana. His dark hair fell over his face, falling just short of his eyes, which were a curious colour of red on black. Her breath caught in her throat slightly.

"Who are you?" Rogue demanded, harsher than she would have normally. "Were you spying on them?"

He just smirked at her. "I never give my name to strangers, _chérie_. And that depends. Were _you_ spying on them?"

"Yes, I was." Rogue admitted without shame. "Now who are you?"

He bowed deeply. "Remy LeBeau, _chérie_, but you can call me Gambit."

_Gambit? _Rogue narrowed her eyes. "In which case, you don't need me to tell you who I am. You work for Magneto; you'll already know."

He chuckled lowly, causing blood to rush through her. "True. Yes, I was spying on them; wanted to catch a glimpse of the girl who's captured Johnny-boy's heart."

Rogue glanced involuntarily in the direction the couple had vanished. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah. Never seen him this enamoured with a girl in all the time I've known him."

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how long have you known him?"

"About six months." Remy admitted. "What's your point?"

"For me to have a point, this would have to be a conversation." Rogue told him sharply. "And this is _not_ a conversation."

"Ah, I see." Remy's smirk grew wider, causing her to colour slightly and made her thankful for the thick layer of make-up she wore. "In that case, I had better be on my way."

Rogue took an automatic step back as a large silver sphere landed beside her; the last time one of those had landed near her, it had abducted her and taken her to Asteroid M.

Gambit bowed gallantly and kissed her gloved hand, before stepping without another word into the sphere, which closed and sped off.

As Rogue watched the sphere zoom across the night sky, she wondered why her heart was beating so fast.

**

* * *

**

AN: Ah, love ROMY. Well, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Getting a little worried about the lack of reviews here; please don't make me beg! Oh, and the chapter title? There's a song in 'Prince of Egypt' called 'Playing with the Big Boys Now' that has the line 'you can be our Acolyte' and, you know, since they're meeting the Acolytes in the chapter…

**On a side note, there used to be a fantastic XME vid on YouTube for that song, but it got pulled (damn copyright rules). However, its creator – 3glitteringrose3 – is still posting and they're really good, so check them out!**


	6. Mindbender

**Disclaimer: I don't own this.**

* * *

Chapter Six – Mindbender

**May 1996**

As previously mentioned, Saturday mornings were cherished in the Xavier Institute, because it was the only morning no one had to wake up for an early morning training session.

There was something wonderful about Saturdays, Kitty thought to herself sleepily. As always, her internal alarm clock woke her up at the stroke of six, she sat bolt upright in bed, then realised, with a soft smile and a yawn that she didn't have to get up for at least a couple more hours.

Sinking back into her pillow, she rolled over, burying her face into cool blankets, blocking out the faint sunlight streaming in through the curtains.

Then, with all the subtlety of a train wreck, the PA system crackled into life.

"X-MEN, UP AND AT 'EM!"

With a startled scream, Kitty jolted awake again and found herself phasing through her bed and falling at high-speed through the room beneath her.

Luckily for her, her room was directly above the entrance hall and Scott, for it was he who had sent out the call in the first place, was able to sprint over, just in time for her to land heavily in his arms, sending them both crashing to the floor.

Awkwardly, Scott stood up and helped Kitty to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Kitty brushed herself down, glancing up as Kurt teleported in with Evan and Rogue. "What's…?"

"Watch yourselves!" Bobby called from the landing, and the five moved back as the stairs turned into an ice slide and the New Recruits slid down, coming to a neat stop in front of them, apart from Jamie, who overshot and hit the wall, multiplying as he did.

Seeing the annoyed expression on Scott's face and the imminent grounding that would follow if Storm and Wolverine arrived, which they undoubtedly would, Amara conjured a flame and melted the ice, before drying it up completely.

"Thank you, Amara." Scott cleared his throat. "Sorry to get you all up and out of bed but we have a situation."

"Which is?" Kurt prompted wearily. "Come on, Cyke; we're all exhausted; that was the week from hell!"

"Jean's missing." Ororo called, hurrying in. "I can't find her anywhere!"

"I know." Scott sighed. "She had a nightmare last night; I heard her call out. When I went to see if she was okay, she said she'd be fine and to go back to bed. When I went to check on her this morning, I couldn't find her."

* * *

Once they had searched the Institute and grounds from top to bottom, the X-Men branched out into the rest of Bayville. Kurt teleported to isolated places the others couldn't get to, Evan boarded down to the hospital, fire station and police station, Rogue took a photograph to the mall and Scott drove around, searching for any sign of red hair and phoning school-friends to see if Jean was with them.

Kitty, however, had another idea. Upon leaving the Institute grounds, as Jean had invariably done, there was a choice of two directions. As I have also previously mentioned, the Institute was separated from the town of Bayville by a dense area of trees; Jean could have chosen to walk that way.

Or, alternatively, she could have chosen to turn right onto the narrow lane that served as the nearest road, which would have taken her straight past the Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding House.

And it was this train of thought that led Kitty to their front door mid-morning, hammering on the wood urgently. "Lance!"

After five minutes of this, there was still no answer, which wasn't really surprising when considering the strains of music clearly audible through the walls.

Sighing wearily, Kitty resorted to walking straight through the front door and following the sound of music and voices and the smell of frying bacon to the kitchen.

At first, her presence went unnoticed, and Kitty took that time to observe the rival team, a fond smile gracing her face; their 'hard' reputation would be gone forever if anyone else saw the picture in front of her.

To the backdrop of heavy metal, Fred was standing at the stove wearing a curiously frilly apron, surrounded by several frying pans. As she watched, he picked one up and flipped a pancake once, before flicking it over his shoulder.

Without glancing up, Tabby lifted her plate and caught it perfectly, before leaning over and snagging the maple syrup from Pietro.

"Oy!" He protested weakly, making a grab for it again.

"You don't need anymore." Tabby told him firmly, almost maternally. "You know what you're like on a sugar-high!"

"Yeah, Pietro." Todd agreed from where he was partly hidden by a cereal box. "You're hyper enough as it is."

"Lance!" Pietro whined.

"They're right, Pietro." Lance said wearily, turning another page of the paper. "Huh. Carnival's left town."

"The carnival was in town?" Pietro asked. "Why didn't we go?"

Lance glanced over at him. "You remember what happened last time I took you lot to the carnival?"

"Yeah." Pietro answered slowly.

"That's why." Lance told him.

"Good morning." Kitty greeted.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Pietro demanded through pancake.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Kitty chided, taking the chair Tabby pulled out for her. "I wanted to ask you if Jean's walked past this morning."

"No." Lance answered.

"Yeah, she has." Pietro corrected. "About five-thirty. You lot were all still asleep."

"What in God's name were you doing up at five-thirty?!" Tabby demanded.

Pietro shrugged. "Once I'm up, I'm up."

"I don't suppose you noticed what kind of mood she was in?" Kitty asked tentatively.

"Now that you mention it," Pietro said slowly, "she didn't seem like herself. I went out there; tried to get a rise out of her…"

"Pietro!" Lance sighed. "What did we decide about _not_ trying to start fights?"

"Hey, I was bored!" Pietro defended. "Didn't work anyway; she just looked straight through me. Like I wasn't even there."

"Why all the questions, Kitty?" Lance asked lightly. "Lost her?"

Only Kitty and Tabby picked up on the worry underlining the question. "Yes." Kitty admitted reluctantly. "She vanished after a nightmare; we can't find her anywhere. Which way was she going?"

Pietro frowned in concentration. "I don't know…I think she turned right at the fork down the road."

Kitty winced; the only places that road led to were the train station and the abandoned quarry.

"Looks like she's skipped town." Todd commented casually.

Kitty pulled her phone from her pocket and hit speed-dial.

"_Jean?"_

"Bloody hell, Scott; get Caller ID." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Or a life, either way. She was headed towards the train station and the quarry at about half five this morning."

"_How do you know that?"_

Kitty sighed; this would be the hard part. "She walked past the Boarding House this morning."

"_What?! Come on, Kitty; like they're going to tell us the truth; they probably kidnapped her or something…"_

"Scott!" Kitty snapped. "Look, would it kill you to take a photo to the train station and ask if they've seen her?"

"_No, I suppose not." _Scott admitted. _"But if she hasn't been there…"_

Kitty sighed tiredly. "If she hasn't been there, we're all right behind you. Good luck." She hung up before he could respond and sighed wearily. "I swear, one of these days…"

"Let me guess," Tabby helped herself from the pile of bacon Fred had just dropped onto the table, "he's convinced that we've kidnapped her and are sending you lot on a wild goose chase."

"Yup." Kitty slipped her phone away.

"Why would we want to kidnap her?" Pietro asked. "I mean, what's the point? Sounds like too much work to me."

"Because you're the incarnation of all that is evil." Kitty deadpanned.

"Oh yeah." Pietro nodded. "I'd forgotten about that."

"Speaking of the incarnation of all evil," Kitty continued, "I was under the impression that you all thought I was."

"No, as a group you are," Pietro corrected. "And I'm fairly sure Summers is. Besides, Lance is always talking about you; you can't be that bad."

Kitty glanced at Lance, who flushed slightly. "I'm not always talking about her."

"Yeah, you are." Tabby disagreed. "If you were in playground, you'd be pulling her ponytail and pushing her down by now."

"Eh, we were best friends for two years." Kitty shrugged. "I'd like to think we're past all that."

"That's a good point." Tabby nodded. "Join us for breakfast?"

"If it's not too much trouble." Kitty smiled sheepishly. "I kinda skipped this morning."

"What's wrong?" Lance asked. "You haven't skipped breakfast since Northbrook."

Kitty could see the concern in his eyes and knew what he was thinking. "Nothing like that."

Fred handed her a plate. "Help yourself."

Kitty did. "Thanks."

"Now when were you and Lance best friends?" Pietro asked.

Again, Kitty glanced at Lance, who shrugged. "Never came up."

Kitty sighed. "I can tell this is going to be a long day."

* * *

That afternoon, the New Recruits reported to the Danger Room for a training session. This was a very important milestone, since it was the first DR session Iceman had run by himself.

It wasn't supposed to be, but it was.

Unfortunately, the entire team underestimated Multiple, who snuck into the control room and added a few…extras to the session.

Needless to say, he was hiding until Kitty got home, while the others began a search for him and gave up after a few feet, collapsing where they stood.

Bobby and Jubilee were a bit luckier; they had managed to at least reach the couch.

"I am never doing that again!" Bobby groaned, falling to the side, his head landing in his best friend's lap.

"I thought it went quite well." Jubilee commented. "For our first time, I mean. We probably should have waited until we had someone there."

"I guess." Bobby sighed. "But they think I can't handle it. Now I know how Batman made Robin feel."

Jubilee stifled a giggle; trust Bobby to make that kind of link. "You were great, Bobby. I know I was impressed."

"You were?" Bobby asked. "Awesome!" He coloured under her curious gaze. "I mean…you know…you're my best friend; why wouldn't I want you to be impressed?"

"Right." Oddly enough, Jubilee found this answer less comforting than she'd expected. "Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we grab a couple sodas and play some video games?"

Bobby shrugged. "Sounds good, but shouldn't we help the others look for Jean?"

"In this state?" Jubilee asked, shoving him from her lap to the floor so she could get up.

"Good point." Bobby stretched and stood up. "Okay, which game?"

"Whichever." Jubilee shrugged. "I'll grab us some sodas."

Luckily for her, the rec room had a mini-fridge, so she didn't have to drag herself to the kitchen to get them drinks.

Under the pretence of flipping through the games, Bobby watched her walk over to it, his gaze falling to her lower back, marvelling how she could move like that subconsciously. _She is so beautiful…whoa, snap out of it, Iceman! You're not supposed to think things like that about her; she's your best friend!_

Jubilee closed the fridge, balancing two cans in one hand, and turned around, missing Bobby quickly shifting his gaze from her to the games. _God, he's hot…whoa, where did __that__ come from?_

"Jubes, you okay?" Bobby asked, tossing her a controller. "You look a little out of it."

"Fine." Jubilee answered automatically, settling down next to him, but she wasn't. Every time his hand brushed against hers, it sent a jolt through her.

It was highly distracting.

"Damn, Jubes." Bobby commented after three games. "I just beat you three times in a row; you're normally better than that."

"Just having an off-day, I guess." Jubilee responded softly.

Bobby paused in the motion of changing the game and looked her in the eye. "Jubes, are you sure you're alright?"

"Hmm?" _Since when are his eyes that hypnotising?_

"Jubes? Jubilee, are you alright?"

Jubilee shook herself from her thought. "Pardon?"

"Are you alright?" Bobby repeated slowly. "You're acting a little weird today."

_How do you tell your best friend that you like them?_

_No, that's ridiculous; I don't 'like' him. It's just a crush._

_Just a harmless little crush._

Jubilee smiled. "I'm fine."

* * *

The next night, Kitty went to bed as usual, but lay awake, unable to fall asleep. Jean had been found, but she was possessed by an unknown entity and had since disappeared again with Nightcrawler. Between the two, they had managed to steal two rings; valuable Tibetan artefacts.

Not even Professor Xavier could figure out who or what had abducted – was it abduction if they went willingly, Kitty wondered sleepily – their two missing team-mates, so there was no telling when the mess would be resolved. Cyclops and Wolverine were stuck in Washington DC, because the two errant members had 'borrowed' the Velocity from them. And, if all that weren't bad enough, Sara had phoned that day, asking for her daughter.

Once Evan had passed the phone to Rogue, who had passed it to Bobby, who had passed it to Jubilee, who had passed it to Amara, it finally reached Kitty, who faked 'girl troubles' and Sara kindly talked to her about it for over an hour, before having to hang up to leave for an appointment, apparently never realising that Jean wasn't even there.

In hindsight, Kitty realised, it would probably have been better to lie and say she was on a date or something, but – she stretched wearily – it was too late now.

As she drifted off to sleep, she was vaguely aware of getting up again and pulling her Shadowcat uniform from her closet. Something in her mind whispered that this wasn't right, but, before she could heed its call, everything went totally, blissfully black…

The next time she opened her eyes, she was lying in mud, soaked to the skin as thunder clouds gathered overhead. Turning her head to the side with a groan, she realised she was in what looked like abandoned carnival grounds. As she sat up slowly, she could see Scott kneeling beside Jean, Storm helping Evan and Rogue leaning over Kurt; all three of the fallen seemed to be in the same state she was.

Professor Xavier was examining the shell of a circus tent and Wolverine was perched on a couple of crates, watching her closely.

Or maybe…

Kitty glanced to her other side, noticing that Logan's eyes weren't entirely on her. Sure enough, Lance was crouched next to her, concern etched into his face. "Are you alright?"

"What the hell happened?" Kitty asked in response.

"Oh, sure!" Logan snorted, rubbing his shin. "_Now_ you remember!"

Kitty looked over again at Jean and Kurt and a horrible thought struck her. "Oh God…it happened to me too, didn't it?"

Lance sighed. "Yeah, it did, Kitten. Guy called 'Mesmero' apparently. He got away with the three rings; Professor X is still trying to get a mental trace on him."

"But why?!" Kitty asked. "What's so special about those rings?"

"No one knows." Lance's face darkened. "At least not yet."

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Kitty whispered. She pushed herself to her feet, feeling him catch her arm to steady her. "My leg hurts."

"Can you stand on it?" Lance asked, sounding more guilty than he did worried. "I think that may have been me. If it had been anyone else, I'd have just made a small tremor to knock you off-balance, but your powers don't exactly make it easy."

"No, it's fine." Kitty assured him. "I think it's just a bruise. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Rogue came to get me." Lance answered. "Seemed to think I might have been able to get through to you easier. And I guess Summers must really love Jeannie, because he didn't say a thing about it."

Now it was Kitty's turn to feel guilty. "And you did, right? Get through to me, I mean. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Lance sighed. "Kitten, I'd love to say that you didn't. But the Brotherhood will never let me forget it."

Kitty looked around. "Are they here?"

"No, it was earlier today in NYC." Lance told her. "At a museum."

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Was it really a good idea to take them to a museum?"

Lance chuckled. "Okay, it was on the roof of the museum. We saw the Velocity and Pietro ran me and Tabby up to see what was going on. I tried to talk you round."

"And it didn't work." Kitty concluded with a sigh.

"Not as well as I'd hoped." Lance admitted, cutting off her next question. "You've got one hell of a right hook."

**

* * *

**

AN: In the cartoon, I think the second ring was in NYC and the third ring was in Washington DC, but it works better this way; it doesn't really matter. Review please!


	7. Shadow Dance

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters!! Thanks for the reviews, guys; keep 'em coming!**

* * *

Chapter Seven – Shadow Dance

**May 1996**

Opening her locker, Kitty nodded absently at what Jean was saying, paying very little attention as an internal war raged in her thoughts.

The Sadie Hawkins' Dance was in a week and she still hadn't asked anyone. In fact, she was wondering whether she should cut her losses and stay home.

Oh, she knew who she wanted to ask, but – her eyes scanned the hallway – that was going against their 'staying friends for now' plan.

Of course – she glanced at Jean who had switched conversation to Scott and heard her ask to meet him at lunch – there was a chance that, with the love-triangle forming between Duncan, Scott and Jean, Cyclops wouldn't even notice who she was with.

"He'd say 'yes', you know."

Kitty started, her book falling through her hand, and she grabbed it again quickly. "Tabby, don't do that!"

Tabitha just smirked and leaned against the lockers. "Kitty, I don't get why you're even thinking about this; you like him, he likes you; what's the problem?"

"We decided to stay friends until everything's smoothed over." Kitty answered automatically.

"'We' decided or 'he' decided?" Tabby asked knowingly.

"Okay, he decided." Kitty admitted with a sigh.

"He just doesn't want to get you in trouble." Tabby told her confidently. "Doesn't think he's worth it."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Prat."

"Isn't he?" Tabby agreed. "So you'll ask him?"

Kitty closed her locker. "Where is he?"

"Water fountain." Tabby answered promptly. "I've managed to convince the others to go to class early; you won't be interrupted."

The two girls exchanged a conspirational smile, before parting ways, Tabby for her own class, Kitty to find Lance.

Sure enough, she found him at the water cooler; he glanced up at her approach and smiled at her, sending a pleasant chill down her spine.

_Whoa. That's never happened before._

"Hey, Lance." Suddenly nervous, although she never had been to talk to him before, Kitty shifted her weight slightly, fiddling with a strand of hair while she thought how to word what she was about to say. "Sooo…Sadie Hawkins' Dance coming up. Anyone asked you yet?"

"No." Lance shrugged. "Who would?"

_Perfect opening. _"Well…I am."

Lance seemed surprised. "R-Really?"

"Yeah." Kitty tucked the strand of hair back into place.

Lance turned away from her. "I'll have to think about it."

"Oh." Kitty faked a smile. "Yeah, totally." _Did I read him wrong? I've never done that. _"Well, I'll see you around."

"Kitty?" Lance called before she could take more than a few steps.

Kitty turned to face him. "Yeah?"

"I'll pick you up at six."

A genuine smile graced her face. "How about I come to you? I don't think you'll make it out the Institute."

"Good point." Lance agreed. "See you later."

Kitty turned again to go to her first class, but she was stopped again, this time by a light tremor that ran through the ground. This time she didn't turn, but allowed herself a small smile.

* * *

"Okay." Jean sighed. "I'll bite. What's wrong?"

It was lunch-time and Kitty had been grinning at her all morning. "Come on, Jean. You're totally gonna ask Scott to the dance!"

"Now wherever did you get an idea like that?" Jean asked calmly as they stopped at her locker, but a blush rose in her cheeks despite her words. "You're jumping to conclusions."

"Yeah right!" Kitty laughed. "You've had a crush on him for, like, ever, and you asked to speak to him at lunch. Plus this morning, when I asked you about going with Duncan, you said, and I

quote, "I might just have to disappoint him." Am I right? I'm right, right?"

Jean opened her mouth to respond, when the colour drained from her face and she made an odd choking noise in her throat, her eyes focusing on something over Kitty's shoulder.

Kitty turned around to see Scott down the hall, talking to a pretty brunette she recognised as Taryn Winters, one of Jean's friends.

"So I was wondering if you had a date to the dance." Taryn was saying, clearly audible over the throngs of people.

Scott shook his head. "No, I don't."

Taryn smiled brightly. "Well…do you want to go with me?"

"Sounds great." Scott responded.

"Cool. I'll see you in Math." With a wave, Taryn had vanished into the crowd, leaving no indication that she had ever been there.

It was at this point that Scott noticed his two team-mates. "Morning, ladies. Or afternoon now, I suppose. Jean, you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah." Jean's voice faltered slightly. "I was wondering…"

Kitty closed her eyes, praying that Jean wasn't still going to go through with it.

Amazingly, Jean continued flawlessly, as though there had never been anything else to talk about. "…if you had a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ I could borrow. I've got Williams for English Lit and since you had her last semester…"

"Sorry, Jean." Scott cut her off. "We did _Sense and Sensibility_."

Jean heaved a sigh. "Darn it. There's never a hero around when you need one."

Kitty smirked. "Don't worry, Jean; I've got a copy you can borrow. Maybe, if you're lucky, Mr. Darcy will jump from the pages and help you."

"One can only hope." Jean laughed. "Thanks, Kitty. Oh, speaking of heroes, did you ask Lance?"

Kitty stifled a laugh, as Scott gritted his teeth, clearly biting back a retort. _Oh, very well played, Jean. _"Yes, I did. And he said yes."

"Great." Jean nodded. "So we all have dates. See you two after lunch."

As the redhead walked off, Scott turned to Kitty. "There's no way that was why she wanted to talk to me; she knows you've got that book; she gave it to you at Christmas. Why did she really want to talk to me?"

Kitty smiled sweetly. "Scott, if you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you."

* * *

For the first time in her life, as soon as lunch had finished, Jean headed out to the parking lot, got in her car and skipped her afternoon classes.

Thoughts flying round her head like butterflies, never resting long enough for her to decipher, she took the coastal road down to the bay. It was tucked around underneath the cliffs that bordered one side of the Institute grounds and was so sheltered that the water was as still as a mill pond, not even affected by the ebbing and flowing of the tide.

Jean parked the car and levitated herself down, not bothering with the ancient steps that put most people off of visiting the beautiful spot. Once she had landed, she slipped her shoes off and held them at her side as she walked along the sand, thinking deeply about that morning.

Taryn was the only person at Bayville High that Jean would ever consider trusting with her secret. The two girls had been close friends ever since Jean had moved to Bayville; the brunette had also recently lost her father, though to an affair, not a heart attack, and they provided comfort to each other.

Taryn knew how Jean felt about Scott; the whole _school_ knew how Jean felt about Scott except the man himself.

But, Jean frowned, she couldn't find any reason for her to be mad at Taryn for asking Scott out; she hadn't told her she was planning on asking him, after all, and she had a boyfriend.

Duncan Matthews.

Jean sighed and, not for the first time, wished she had turned the quarterback down when his asked her out. She had been the new girl, quiet and painfully shy, and she had been so flattered that the captain of the football team knew who she was and wanted to ask her out that she had accepted without a second's thought.

Jean was, if nothing else, a typical redhead: stubborn with a short temper. Taryn told her Duncan was a jerk, Scott warned her she was going to get hurt; she refused to listen to them or admit they were right.

_And, boy, were they right._

Duncan Matthews was the only thing Scott and Lance saw eye-to-eye on, even before Lance had known she was his sister; the Brotherhood leader may not have had any trouble with him personally, but Duncan insisted on bullying the rest of the Brotherhood and Lance was having none of it.

Scott had once admitted to her that, if there was anything he admired about Lance, it was his loyalty to his team; Lance may have been strong, but he was still no match for Duncan.

"I wonder if I need a reason." Jean murmured aloud, staring out at the horizon.

"Need a reason to do what?"

Jean started and turned around to see Lance standing behind her. "Don't do that! Why aren't you in school?"

Lance sniggered. "You're one to talk!" His humour vanished quickly. "What's wrong?"

Jean sighed and let herself drop onto the sand. "Nothing."

"Come on, Jeannie; I know you better than that." Lance sat down next to her. "Does this have anything to do with Taryn asking Summers to the dance?"

Jean sighed. "Yes. And it shouldn't. And it's pissing me off."

Lance was quiet for a few minutes. "You really like him, don't you?"

Jean laughed. "What? No! No, of course not! It's just a crush, that's all. Understandable, really, with all we've been through."

"Jeannie, it's more than just a crush." Lance disagreed.

"No, it isn't." Jean insisted.

"You never were a very good liar, Jeannie." Lance told her. "You know how I know it's more than a crush?"

"How?" Jean asked reluctantly.

"Because that's three times I've called you Jeannie," Lance smirked, "and you haven't hit me yet, which means you're extremely distracted."

Jean sighed. "It seems kind of pointless to get on at you for that. I only do it for appearance anyway."

Lance wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Alright, tell me what happened. You know what happened to me; now it's your turn."

For the next few hours, Jean talked and talked, telling him all about waking from the coma, about moving to Bayville, about helping Scott figure out what materials he could and couldn't see through, about the problems she'd had with her telepathy and how they'd led to the bond she now had with her best friend.

Eventually, her voice trailed off and the twins slipped into silence. Jean didn't need to know the time to know that school had let out. Her team-mates would soon start looking for her and what excuse would she give?

The sound of a motorcycle cut through her thoughts and, for a second, her heart stopped; the only person who would come down this way who had a motorcycle that she knew of was Logan and he was unlikely to listen straight away.

So it was with great relief that she heard Kitty's voice echoing over the ridge. "Jean? Lance? You here?"

"Yeah, we're here." Lance responded, helping Jean to her feet.

Concentrating carefully, Jean lifted them both off their feet and up to where Kitty was standing by their cars and…

"Sweet mother of Jesus, that's a beautiful bike." Lance whispered as they landed.

"What was that?" Kitty asked innocently, though it was obvious she had heard him.

"That…that…" Lance shook his head, looking for all the world like a man possessed. "Bloody hell."

Of the X-Men, Jean knew that only she and Logan knew the extent of the couple's relationship back in Northbrook, but she would never have believed if she hadn't seen the two together in Philadelphia. In Bayville, they usually kept up layers upon layers of pretence, but, every so often, the true nature of their relationship shone through, like the sun peeking out from behind a cloud.

Kitty brushed some invisible dust from the seat. "Beautiful, isn't she?"

"You can say that again." Lance whispered reverently. "Stunning."

"Fast." Kitty shot back.

"Powerful."

"Sleek."

"Elegant."

Their eyes locked in a way that made Jean feel a little uncomfortable, as though she was intruding on some private moment.

A smirk touched Kitty's face. "You're not talking about the bike anymore, are you?"

"No." Lance admitted shamelessly. "Where'd she come from?"

"Early birthday present from my parents." Kitty answered, her smile slipping slightly. "Can you believe it?"

"From your parents?" Lance repeated. "The people who freaked out when your uncle taught us how to drive these the summer before last?"

"Yeah." Kitty nodded. "They're up to something."

"How'd they get it here?" Jean asked, admiring the bike. She didn't know a whole lot about cars or bikes, but she spent enough time around Logan to recognise a beautiful piece of work when she saw it.

"They didn't." Kitty sighed. "They're going away for my birthday, so they phoned and asked me to drop by when I had the chance. Kurt teleported me there and back; those sessions have really been working. I just wish I knew what they were up to."

Jean was suddenly struck by a horrible thought. "They wouldn't pull you home, would they?"

"I don't think so." Kitty said slowly. "If they wanted me to come home, it'd be so I could pretend that all this was just a dream and that I'm still their perfect daughter who conforms to every aspect of society. If they have to force me to come home, it won't work as well. They're probably trying to entice me into coming home."

"And will that work?" Jean asked warily.

Kitty laughed. "Hell, no!"

Jean was so relieved she didn't even bother to correct her language.

**

* * *

**

AN: Review please!


	8. Dates & Dances

**Disclaimer: Although it's an AU, I don't own the characters. Unfortunately.**

* * *

Chapter Eight – Dates and Dances

**May 1996**

"Jean!" Kitty hurried into the garage just as the redhead was unlocking her car. "Any chance of a lift?"

"Yeah, of course." Jean gestured to the front seat. "Jump in. Boarding house?"

"If it's not too much trouble." Kitty strapped herself in carefully, minding her dress. It had been a present from her favourite cousin, who – although male – had an amazing eye when it came to women's fashion.

"Kitty, I don't know if anyone's told you," Jean glanced at her as she started the car, "but that dress is exactly the same colour as your eyes."

"Yeah, that's what Karl said." Kitty agreed. "He's my cousin." She added, seeing the question in Jean's eyes. "It was a Christmas present."

"He has excellent taste." Jean commented.

"I know." Kitty agreed. "Felicity likes to joke that he's better at shopping than most girls are."

"Is she his girlfriend?" Jean asked knowingly.

"No." Kitty smirked lightly. "Just his best friend; they're a real live 'Will and Grace'."

"Really?" Jean glanced at her. "Do his parents know?"

Kitty laughed. "Jean, you've met my parents; the whole bloody family's like that! No, I'm the only person who knows at the moment. Well, me, you and Lance. And Felicity for obvious reasons. You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Of course not." Jean assured her. "My lips are sealed. How come Lance isn't picking you up?"

"I thought it was unlikely that Scott would let him leave the Institute in one piece." Kitty rolled her eyes. "God knows what his problem is. Why are you going to Duncan?"

"Wolverine scares the hell out of him." Jean answered, her lips twitching with concealed amusement.

"That's my theory out the window." Kitty commented, only half-joking. "I thought he just didn't have any brains. Honestly, Jean, I don't know why you don't just dump him!"

"He hasn't given me reason too." Jean answered, with all the conviction of a robot.

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Since when is 'he's a complete douche-bag' not a good reason?"

Jean didn't answer and Kitty knew a lost cause when she saw one, so she changed the subject.

The remainder of the journey was filled by casual chat and, within ten minutes, Jean had pulled to a stop outside the boarding house. "I'll see you there."

"Thanks, Jean." Kitty got out. "Try to keep Matthews in line."

Jean laughed. "I'll do my best."

Kitty waved her off and nervously made her way up to the front door. There was no real reason for her to be nervous; she'd been here several times and, if Lance said there was nothing to worry about when it came to his team-mates, then there was nothing to worry about.

Unlike her last visits, the door was opened immediately, by Tabitha, who was wearing a large smirk and an even bigger dress. "Hi, Kit."

"Hey, Tabby." Kitty glanced past her warily. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Tabby assured her, standing back to let her in. "I just find it funny that the boys are always on my case for taking so long to get ready and they're the ones currently rushing around in a panic."

Kitty sniggered, following her into the living room. "That is quite funny. How are we all getting there?"

"Pietro's already gone," Tabby answered, "so we'll all fit in the car no problem. Hey boys."

Kitty turned around to see that Fred and Todd had appeared in the doorway. "Hey."

"Hey Kitty."

"Hi Kitty." Todd echoed. "Nice dress."

Kitty glanced down at it. "Thank you."

"Lance should be down soon." Tabby commented. "We'll wait outside for you."

"'Kay." As soon as the front door closed, Kitty immediately checked her reflection, unsure why she felt so nervous.

_It's just Lance. You've been to school dances with him before._ She reminded herself. _That was different though. You weren't on a date then._

"Wow…"

Kitty started, having not noticed Lance's appearance. He was wearing a semi-formal suit and an awestruck expression. "Hi."

"Hi." Lance walked over and kissed her cheek, lingering a little longer than was necessary, before offering her his arm. "You look beautiful."

Kitty felt a blush rise in her cheeks. "Thank you." She took his arm and they made their way out to where the rest of the Brotherhood was waiting for them.

Possibly due to the glare Tabby was directing at the two boys, neither said anything, and the journey to Bayville High was filled with civil conversation for once.

Once again, Kitty found herself marvelling at the inner workings of the Brotherhood; the way they interacted was so much smoother than it was with her own team. While the X-Men might move like a well-oiled machine in training, in real life it was a lot more difficult; they were all so different.

But the Brotherhood all had…something.

An unspoken connection.

Kitty knew that Tabby's background was less than happy and she could guess that Todd and Fred were similar. Pietro, she knew, was Magneto's son and that couldn't have been easy.

But Lance?

There was something almost parental in the way Lance acted towards his team; like he felt responsible for them.

And maybe he did, Kitty realised.

"Kitty?" Tabby asked. "You alright?"

Kitty shook herself from her thought. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"I was just saying that Kurt didn't teleport home from school today." Tabby repeated. "Why was that?"

Kitty pondered her answer for a moment. "Forge found some way of slowing his teleportation down because he had this idea that Kurt passes through some other dimension when he teleports. It worked, but the camera he took showed these weird demon creatures and they attacked when Wolverine went through with him. So Professor X doesn't want him to teleport again until they've found out more."

This wasn't entirely true; Kurt had refused to teleport again without any outside influence whatsoever.

"Fair enough."

The conversation was stopped there, because Lance had pulled into the school parking lot. Kitty climbed out, smoothing her dress down, glancing over at the archway of balloons over the entrance to the school hall. She took a deep breath. _Here goes everything._

* * *

Forge's machine, it transpired, did more harm than good; it created rifts between the two dimensions and the demons that lived there had broken through, disrupting the dance. Thankfully, Forge and Professor Xavier managed to get there before they could do any real damage, sending them to the 'Middleverse' where Forge had been trapped since the seventies, until the X-Men rescued him, inadvertently aided by the Brotherhood.

The rest of the students had swallowed the story that the AV club, who had boycotted the dance on principal – though no one was really sure what that was, even the club themselves – had set up an elaborate prank to scare everyone. It had been Jean's idea; she knew that no one in the club was above taking credit for it and a simple mind-tweak would stop them from thinking any more about it.

"What's wrong?" Lance asked quietly.

Kitty glanced at him. "Nothing."

The majority of the dance floor was filled – the song playing was rather popular – but it was one neither of them particularly liked, so they had decided to sit it out.

She wasn't really lying; there wasn't anything wrong, per se. She just couldn't understand how just calling something a date could make it so nerve-wracking.

The music changed suddenly, flowing into a slow-song, causing the dance floor to empty a little and those remaining to pair up.

Lance turned to her. "Dance with me?"

Kitty took his offered hand and followed him out into the numerous other couples, feeling his other arm wrap around her waist, pulling her close.

This was new.

In all the time they'd been in Northbrook, in all the times he had put an arm around her, in all the times he had given her a comforting hug, they had never been this close and it had never meant this much.

Slipping her hand out of his, she let her fingers trail up his arm to his shoulder, clasping her hands behind his neck. As she did, their eyes met and she felt another chill travel through her, similar to the one she received when he'd smiled at her earlier.

Gently, Lance brushed away a loose strand of hair from her face, his eyes never wavering from hers.

Kitty felt her heart skip a beat, sure that the already-narrow distance between them was decreasing. _Oh my God, is he going to kiss me?_

The space between their bodies was almost non-existent, the gap between their faces was diminishing rapidly; her eyes fluttered closed, but before their lips could meet…

_SMACK!_

* * *

**A few minutes earlier…**

As everyone paired off, Jean saw Taryn move into Scott's arms and found that she wasn't too upset, although that might have been because Kitty was in Lance's arms on the other side of the room; if Scott was busy with Taryn, he was unlikely to beat her brother up.

"Hey Jean."

Jean started, having not see Rahne and Jubilee approach her. They were the only other X-girls who had gotten a date for this evening; Rogue had come, but she and Risty were spending the evening sniggering at peoples' outfits, and Amara had decided to stay at home.

The first didn't surprise Jean, but the second had; after all, it had been Amara who had told them about the dance in the first place. She was a little concerned that Amara may have found a boyfriend who didn't go to Bayville High; Rogue hadn't told her anything when she returned from following the younger girl when she sneaked out; just that she was safe.

_I suppose it's really none of my business_, Jean decided, offering a smile to the two girls. "Hi girls. Where are your dates?"

"Why is it," Jubilee began seriously, "that cute guys have no brains?"

Jean laughed. "I'm sure that's not universal! That bad, huh?"

"Worse!" Jubilee groaned. "All he talks about is football! All the time, football!"

"Tell me about it." Rahne sympathised. "My date hasn't stopped talking about himself once. I wouldnae mind, but he's resorted to telling me how his dog has finally learnt to catch a Frisbee in its mouth! I can do that!"

"Ssh!" Jean hushed her. "Calm down! Something wrong Jubes?"

Jubilee sighed, not even bothering to deny it. "I think I like Bobby."

"You mean as more than just a best friend?" Jean asked. "When did you come to this conclusion?"

"A couple weeks ago." Jubilee answered. "The day you went missing. I told him I was impressed by how he handled the Danger Room…"

"Which you should not have been in." Jean inserted dryly.

Jubilee flushed slightly. "His idea. Anyway, he seemed oddly pleased at that and then said that I was his best friend; why wouldn't he want to impress me? And I realised that that reason actually hurt slightly, like I wanted him to try to impress me for a different reason and since then I haven't been able to stop thinking about him; it's driving me crazy!"

"Alright." Jean soothed. "Alright. Have you considered just telling him?"

"Are you mad?" Jubilee responded. "You don't tell your best friend you lo…like him; it makes you look like an idiot and our entire relationship could go down the drain."

"Did you just say love?" Rahne asked, perking up like a dog on the trail of a rabbit. "Do you love him?"

"No!" Jubilee answered. "Yes! I don't know! It doesn't matter! Because everyone knows that once something goes down the drain you need either a very good plumber or a very, very long coat hanger to get it out!"

"Honestly, Jubes, I don't know what took you so long." Rahne shrugged. "Everyone can see there's something between you two except you two. You're as bad as her." She nodded to Jean.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Jean asked, more calmly than she felt.

Jubilee sniggered and nodded over to where Scott was dancing with Taryn. "Hello?!"

"Well, at least Scott would dance with me instead of goofing off with his mates." Jean sighed, knowing she was repeating the same excuse she'd given Risty earlier.

"Or getting off with a cheerleader." Rahne added quietly.

"Exactly." Jean agreed. Then she froze, the younger girl's words suddenly making sense.

Slowly, she turned around to see her boyfriend pinning a voluptuous blonde against the wall, looking for all the world like he was trying to suck her tonsils out.

"Excuse me." Cursing her voice for shaking and willing the tears to stay away at least for the moment, she broke away from her team-mates and stalked over to her boyfriend, jabbing him in the shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?"

With a noise that sounded like a plunger being removed from a sink, Duncan broke away from the other girl, who at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "What?" He asked obliviously. "It's not like you were gonna put out tonight…or ever."

Had he been anyone else's boyfriend, Jean would have felt sympathy for the other girl, who looked as outraged as he felt. But he had been _her_ boyfriend; he had made her feel guilty for spending time with her friends instead of him and now he did _this_? "That's _it_!" Without hesitation, she lifted a hand and slapped him as hard as she could, which was considerably hard. "We are _so _through!"

* * *

The sound of the slap cut through the hall like a knife and Lance and Kitty started, their gazes moving automatically towards the sound.

A blonde girl Kitty recognised as one of the cheerleaders was leaning against the wall, her face red with either embarrassment or anger. Duncan Matthews was next to her, holding his face.

Murmuring ran through the hall and Kitty looked back to Lance. "What do you think happened?"

"I've got an idea." Lance muttered, glaring in Duncan's direction. "Where's Jean?"

Kitty noticed Jubilee and Rahne heading towards them and tightened her grip warningly. "Just remember no one knows you're related." She smiled at her team-mates. "Hi girls."

"Did you see that?!" Jubilee hissed. "Duncan was totally cheating on Jean and she just let him have it!"

"I hope she's okay." Kitty frowned at the door, guessing that Jean had left.

"Do you want to go and check on her?" Lance asked.

"Is that alright?" Kitty glanced at him. "I don't want her to be on her own if she's upset. And I have a feeling Scott'll just make the situation worse. You two stay here." Looking around, she caught Scott's eye and signalled that she'd leave, receiving a mouthed 'thank you' in return.

It took them just over fifteen minutes to get back to the Institute; once outside, Kitty punched in the access code to open the gates. "Are you okay with cutting this short?"

"Yeah, of course." Lance assured her, kissing her cheek. "Just as long as she's okay; I'm gonna go back and beat Matthews up."

"Oh no, you're not." Kitty disagreed. "You're going to stay here and give me a proper goodnight kiss."

It surprised her how easily the words slipped out of her mouth.

"Then can I beat him up?" Lance asked.

"No." Kitty rolled her eyes. "You know the rest of the football team will get involved; you're not _that_ good. Just let it lie; he'll get his."

"I guess." Lance sighed.

A clanging noise alerted them both to the fact that the gates were fully open; Kitty's attention was temporarily diverted, when she felt Lance's hands on her waist, pulling her in again.

Then his lips were on hers in a soft caress unlike anything she'd ever felt before, seeming to steal her ability to breathe for a few minutes.

Almost hesitantly, Kitty slid her hand to the back of his head, her eyes closing of their own accord. The pressure increased for just a second, then he pulled away.

"Goodnight Kitten."

Kitty swallowed. "Yeah. Goodnight." Her skin still tingling from his touch, she stepped back through the gates, letting the shut behind her with a clang. Then, once he was out of sight, she hurried up the driveway, mind still reeling from what had happened.

She never dreamed that a simple goodnight kiss could make her feel the way she did right then.

The front doors opened before she reached them and Logan stepped out. "Want me to hurt him, Half-Pint?"

"Who? Duncan?" Kitty asked, startled by the question.

Logan gave her a strange look. "Alvers. What did Matthews do?"

"First, no." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Second, cheated on Jean with one of the cheerleaders. Isn't she here?"

"Yeah, went running past us in tears just now." Logan answered, looking grim. "Ro's outside her door at the moment, but I figured one of you'd be along sooner or later and I'd find out what happened from you. Then I saw you and Rock-Boy and decided to wait."

"Well, Lance offered me a lift home so I could make sure she was okay." Kitty stated calmly. "I think it's Duncan you want to be focusing on."

"Don't worry." Logan growled. "I am."

"Good." Leaving that with him, Kitty slipped past into the Entrance Hall, running up the stairs, having to phase through Bobby to avoid a collision.

"Hang on, Kitty; what's wrong with Jean?" He called after her. "Even Storm's given up!"

"Go and get a tub of chocolate ice-cream from the freezer!" Kitty called back. "And meet us in her room!"

"But…"

"There's no time; this is an emergency!" Kitty snapped without stopping. She skidded to a halt outside Jean's room and knocked quietly. "Jean?"

There was a soft sniffle. "Go away!"

"Honey, I'm the only one here." Kitty called. "Apart from Bobby, but I've sent him to get ice-cream."

"Okay." There was a soft click and the door swung open.

Without hesitation, Kitty hurried over and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Jean dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "You all tried to warn me; I should have listened."

There was a tap on the open door and Bobby cleared his throat. "One tub of chocolate chip ice-cream, as requested. Are you okay? What happened?"

Jean gave him a watery smile. "I will be. Duncan cheated on me."

"So saying," Kitty added, as he dropped the ice-cream and spoons in front of them and leaned over to give Jean a hug, "you're welcome to stay, but we will be discussing every single down-fall of the male by-species."

Without missing a beat, Bobby sat down. "We're all complete bastards."

* * *

**August 1996**

A few months had passed since the Sadie Hawkins' dance and things had continued in much the same way.

Scott was still dating Taryn, despite Jean now being single.

Jean was starting to realise the depth of the feelings she had for her best friend, but not doing anything about it.

Kitty was upset because Lance hadn't mentioned their kiss after the dance and she was rethinking her worry that she couldn't read him as well as she used to.

Jubilee was still pretending she had no romantic feelings for Bobby, who was in a slump, because he had a crush on her and felt it wasn't reciprocated.

Rogue was despairing about all of them, but kept her thoughts to herself.

This particular evening, at the Xavier Institute, activities had been interrupted by a team meeting called by Professor Xavier. For the members of the Brotherhood, however, it was just a normal Tuesday.

Lance was playing his guitar. Freddie was clearing up after dinner. And Todd, Pietro and Tabby were…

Playing a board game.

Yes, you read that right.

A board game.

Contrary to popular belief, the Brotherhood did not spend their free time mugging old ladies, vandalising Bayville and stealing candy from small children.

In fact, they never did any of that.

Apart from maybe the second one.

But he deserved it.

Of course, playing a board game with Pietro was never easy, since he got bored very easily and tended to cheat. But this particular evening, he was behaving himself.

All was well.

Until…

"I'm back!"

**

* * *

**

AN: Review please!


	9. Ground Zero

**Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

Chapter Nine – Ground Zero

**August 1996**

It was the last week of a golden summer and the streets of Bayville were more or less deserted, as everyone had flocked to the city or the beach, determined to make the most of the last rays of summer before children had to return to the day-to-day monotony of school.

Normally, Rogue would have been glad of the isolation as she hurried home – it would give her a chance to think rather than constantly worry about brushing against someone – but today she found herself wishing there were more people around.

Recently, she had begun to get a sense of impending…something. Doom sounded too dramatic, she scolded herself; she wasn't Kitty, after all. But something bad was going to happen, she could feel it.

She didn't know what and she didn't know when.

But it was coming.

Maybe it was the trip to the Redwoods Kitty had taken a few weeks previously with Dr. McCoy and some of the New Recruits, where they'd seen, first-hand, just how prejudiced some people could be.

Maybe it was the sudden presence of Pietro's sister, Wanda in the Brotherhood; no one could quite work out how she had escaped from the asylum in which she had resided for the past seven years and, when they had gone to check on her, the Brotherhood had beaten them in a fight for the very first time.

Maybe it was the fight itself; Jean was adamant that Lance had started the fight and Kitty was just as certain that he had been with her when the fight started. If it was Scott, Rogue would have brushed off his statement and agreed with Kitty, but Jean had nothing against Avalanche. Why would she make something like that up?

For that matter, why had it turned into a fight anyway? It was Wanda who had beaten them; the boys had seemed almost…reluctant. And why hadn't Tabitha been with them?

"Rogue?"

_Speak of the devil. _Rogue turned around, but any response was lost at the sight of her former team-mate. "My God, Tabby, what happened?"

Tabitha looked a mess; her hair was dishevelled, her clothes were dirty and her face was pale. "You haven't got anything to eat, have you?"

"Hang on." Rogue rooted through her bag and pulled out a candy bar. "Here. It's not much, but…"

"Better than nothing." Tabby finished, taking it. "Thanks."

"What happened?" Rogue repeated. "Have you been sleeping rough?"

"Sort of." Tabby muttered, not meeting her eyes. "I need to talk to someone. Wolverine or Storm or…someone."

Rogue frowned. "Wolverine's hunting down Sabretooth and Storm won't be back until tomorrow morning. I'm sure Professor X would…"

"No." Tabby cut her off. "It's not that bad; I just…I'll come by tomorrow, shall I?"

"Yeah." Rogue said slowly. "I'm sure that'd be fine. Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine." Tabby smiled weakly. "Just be careful…and don't trust your eyes."

"Don't trust my…what does that mean?!" Rogue called after her, but Tabby didn't look back. _Now what was all that about? _Frowning after the younger girl for a few minutes, Rogue finally gave up on interpreting the cryptic message and continued on her way. She had barely gone a few steps when a shiver ran down her spine.

Someone was following her.

Had she been anyone else, she may have dismissed the feeling as paranoia, but she had never done that before and, like all X-Men, she had learned to listen to the little voice in her head. She spun on her heel, but the street behind her appeared completely empty. Her green eyes travelled the deserted pavement, searching for any sign of company, but she was alone; even Tabitha had since vanished round the corner.

Giving the street a last probing sweep, Rogue turned again and headed back on her way, but she still wasn't convinced. Keeping as close to the buildings as she could, she slipped in and out of shadows, changing her normal route back to the mansion, occasionally doubling back on herself to throw any observer off her trail. Because of her potential stalker, the trip through the woods seemed to take twice as long as usual, but she finally emerged into the relative safety of the lane.

Then…

"_Mon dieu, chérie_. I've met spies who were easier to track than you."

Rogue froze, turning slowly on the spot to see Remy LeBeau gazing down from one of the tree branches. "What do you want, Gambit?"

"Nothing from you, _chérie_!" Remy insisted, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Pyro asked me to give this note to his little girlfriend, but I'm sure you can get closer to her."

Rogue eyed both him and the note warily, trying to find a trick, but couldn't. "Fine." She took the note and watched him leave, refusing to turn her back on him until he had vanished into the trees.

* * *

"So you and Lance still aren't a couple?" Amara asked.

"No." Kitty sighed, tucking her hands underneath the pillow. She was lying on her stomach on the spare bed in Amara's room that had once been Tabitha's.

Amara was sat opposite her on her own bed, her back braced against the wall. "Why not?"

"I don't know." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Because he doesn't want to get me into trouble, I guess."

"And I suppose you _want_ him to get you into trouble?" Amara guessed with a smirk.

Kitty lifted her head. "Get your mind out the gutter!"

"You didn't deny it." Amara pointed out slyly.

Before Kitty could retort, or throw something at her (which she was seriously considering), there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Amara called.

Rogue slipped through the door. "Note for you. Hey, Kit."

"Thanks." Amara took the offered paper and read it through. As she did, her face paled and her hands began shaking.

"Amara?" All traces of earlier joking evaporated, Kitty pushed herself up and hurried to her team-mate's side. "What is it?"

The note dropped from Amara's hands and she leaned into Kitty's offered hug.

Kitty tightened her hold and scooped the note up, feeling Rogue move so she could read it over her shoulder.

_Dear Amara,_

_Magneto's up to something; I've no idea what at the moment. I just wanted to warn you that we're unlikely to see each other again. It's probably for the best, but there's something I must tell you first. I wish I could tell you in person, but that's probably suicide right now._

_When I saved you in March, I had no idea that it would lead to this, especially when I found out that you were in the X-Men (and a princess to boot; had no idea I knew about that now, did you?) but it has. I've fallen in love with you, Amara._

_I have never felt this way about anyone or anything before in my life. You don't have to feel the same way, but it would be fantastic if you did; I guess none of it really matters anymore though._

_I'll never forget you, my fire goddess._

_All my love,_

_John_

* * *

The next morning, as arranged, Tabitha sped towards the Institute in Lance's 'borrowed' jeep. At Mystique's return, she had promptly made herself scarce at the Boarding House, but had stayed nearby, camping in the mess they called a back yard so she could keep an eye on 'her boys'. After the fight at the mall, Mystique had vanished, but Tabitha had stayed where she was.

It all seemed too easy.

The blue-skinned woman had given the boys a hard time for never beating the X-Men and then disappeared right after they finally had?

Tabby had debated for the last few days over whether to tell the X-Men about Mystique's return; whether the boys liked working for her or not, it felt like a betrayal.

But now, against her better judgement, she was pulling up outside the gate.

Before she could get out the car, however, she noticed something very, very strange.

Amara was standing outside the front door of the mansion, dressed in her X-uniform and hammering on the front door to be let in.

Confused, Tabitha hesitated. She knew Bobby had a habit of pulling practical jokes, but this seemed strange, even for him.

Then slowly, the mouth of the statue on the fountain that stood in the middle of the sweeping driveway opened and a something began moving up and up…

_Good God, it's a laser gun!_

"AMARA, WATCH OUT!"

Amara spun around and dived out the way just in time as a red beam hit the spot she'd been standing in seconds before, leaving a scorch mark on the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she created a ball of fire and threw it towards the fountain.

In the same instant, Tabitha formed a handful of cherry-bombs and threw them at the gate, blowing it open. Starting the car again, she sped into the grounds, meeting Amara half-way. "Get in!"

Amara didn't need to be told twice; she jumped into the front seat and Tabitha turned the jeep sharply and drove them out of the grounds.

"What happened?!" The blonde demanded.

"I don't know." Amara answered shakily. "We'd best get Scott. The others went off to fight Magneto with the Brotherhood."

Tabitha nearly crashed the jeep. "Wait, the boys are with them?"

"Well, yeah." Amara grabbed the door. "Just remember this side doesn't have a seat-belt. I thought you said they hated Magneto; why are you surprised?"

"They may hate Magneto," Tabby agreed darkly, "but not enough to take the fight to him and definitely not enough to team up with the X-Geeks. No offence." She added as an afterthought.

"None taken." Amara assured her. "What's going on then?"

"I don't know." Tabby muttered. "Mystique showed up a few days ago."

"Well, maybe she told them to come." Amara suggested.

"Maybe." Tabby conceded reluctantly. "But that doesn't make sense either; she…did you say Scott wasn't with them?"

Amara shook her head. "Refused to work with them. He wasn't in the mansion, so I guess he must be up at the cliffs; he goes up there sometimes to think. Why doesn't it make sense?"

"Well, I got the hell out of there when she turned up," Tabby admitted, "but she went off at them about how they never beat the X-Men and how Lance actually joined you. It just doesn't make sense that she'd do all that and then say, 'Okay, now work with them'."

Amara frowned thoughtfully. "You're right. Left here."

Tabitha took the turn and pushed the speed up, hoping there were no traffic cops around. _That's the last thing we need.  
_

"There!" Amara shouted, pointing to Scott's red convertible.

Scott was sat on the hood of his car, staring out over the sea. At Amara's cry, he stood up, turning towards them as the jeep pulled in next to him.

Amara didn't bother opening the door and vaulted over it. "Scott, the mansion's gone nuts! It's gone into lock-down, the others are trapped inside and now it's attacking us!"

Scott paled. "Oh God…Switch cars, girls; I know mine's faster than that thing."

Tabitha didn't argue; as she strapped into the back seat, she told Scott about Mystique's return. "She told the boys to take Wanda to the mall; they weren't looking for a fight."

"The mall was closed." Scott pointed out. "And Avalanche started one anyway."

"Kitty said he was with her." Amara disagreed. "It's not like her to lie."

"Would you take Wanda into crowds of people?" Tabitha asked rhetorically. "Lance wouldn't have done that, Scott; he doesn't care about whatever's going on between the two teams now. All he cares about is keeping us safe and together."

Scott didn't respond, but took a sharp turning that took them a different way to the way they'd come.

"Scott, you're going the wrong way!" Amara protested, but Scott ignored her, pulling up beside a waterfall that flowed into a river that led down to the bay.

About halfway up, a large rock protruded from the cliff. Tabitha squinted up at it, sure it looked familiar. "Wait a second…Isn't that…?"

"That's the exit from the hangar!" Amara cried. "That's where the Blackbird comes out!"

"That's right." Scott confirmed. "And it's the only way in."

* * *

After that morning's disastrous training session, Jubilee had barricaded herself in her room and curled up on her bed with a good book. She knew that Bobby was annoyed at being treated like a kid again _and rightly so; he's only a week younger than Scott and Jean._

When she had first discovered her powers, she had panicked. When her parents discovered her powers, she had run to the park and collapsed crying on one of the benches.

That was when she had met Bobby.

By some strange coincidence, his powers had appeared at the same time and the X-Men had picked him up in Colorado before carrying on to California, where she was.

When her parents told them that she had run, Bobby had volunteered to find her. She hadn't expected to meet her soul-mate that day, maybe just a friend.

And yet that was what he was. She knew that now.

And, as much as she liked him – _love him, Jubes; you can admit it to yourself _– an annoyed Bobby wasn't a fun person to be around.

_Things are getting complicated._ She realised, not really taking in the words in front of her. _It's not a game anymore._

The fight the others had had with the Brotherhood had shaken everyone, partly because the Brotherhood had won, but the New Recruits had been the worst affected.

It was the first real fight they had experienced and they hadn't even been there. That night, Jubilee had gone to talk to Kitty about something and had found her with Jean, who was cleaning a wound on the younger girl's shoulder.

At Jubilee's gasp, Kitty had smiled and told her she'd had worse from a Danger Room session and not to worry, but the reality had come crashing home.

People could, and would, get seriously hurt.

Finally giving up on her book, she sat up and stretched, noting that a good hour had gone past and she couldn't remember anything she'd just read. _That'll teach me to try reading after a Danger Room session._

Then she frowned. Her room was too dark for the amount of time that had passed. Turning towards the window, she saw the reason; the glass was covered with some kind of metal.

Foreboding gathering in the pit of her stomach, she left her room and hurried down the hall.

Now she could hear a loud, continuous thudding noise, which, she realised when she reached the staircase, was Sam, cannonballing against the door over and over again.

"What is going on?" Jubilee demanded, making her way down the stairs.

"Jubes, watch out!" Without warning, Bobby dived across the room, colliding heavily with her. They both hit the floor, but, before she could question him, a laser beam hit the carpet where she'd been standing seconds earlier.

Pushing himself to his feet, Bobby spun around and fired an ice-beam at the gun that had appeared in one of the corners. Almost immediately, a jolt of electricity fizzled over their heads and hit the corner behind them.

"Are you two alright?" Ray asked, helping Sam to his feet.

Roberto sprinted in from the rec room with Rahne and Jamie following close behind. "There's no way out!"

"Maybe not on this floor." Bobby offered Jubilee his hand and pulled her to her feet. "Alright, huddle up! We're going to split up, alright? Cannonball, Berserker, you take the top three floors. Multiple, stick with Wolfsbane and Sunspot; you three take the lower three floors. Jubilee and I will search the lower levels. If you find anything, yell; if not, meet us in the control room."

Receiving nods from everyone, he grabbed Jubilee's hand and split off for them, sprinting for the stairs.

"Why aren't we taking the elevator?" Jubilee asked. "It's quicker."

Normally, she would pull her hand from his, avoid giving him any indication that she liked him more than a best friend, but she was scared, dammit. So, instead, she tightened her grip and he responded by pulling her closer.

"Because I don't know what's in there." Bobby answered. "Come on."

As soon as they emerged into the cold, metal corridor, they were faced with adversity; three more laser guns came down from the ceiling, aiming at what they took for intruders.

Without a second thought, the two aimed and fired three times in quick succession, hitting each one in unison, finding out exactly what happened when ice and fireworks mixed.

"This place is getting way too unfriendly." Jubilee muttered.

"Tell me about it." Bobby took her hand again. "Come on. Do you think we should check the Danger Room?"

"Uh, no." Jubilee shook her head. "That's bad enough on a good day. And this is not a good day."

"Point taken." Bobby veered off down a side-corridor, pulling her after him.

Room after room, corridor after corridor…even Cerebro wasn't spared their search…they all told the same story.

They were trapped with a home that had turned into their enemy.

Finally, Bobby and Jubilee reached the doors that led to the mainframe computer.

"The control's fried." Jubilee warned, checking it.

"There's nothing that can't be fixed," Bobby disagreed, grasping one of the doors, "with brute force and ignorance." He pulled hard, but the door didn't budge. "Give me a hand here."

Taking hold of the other door, Jubilee pulled as well. Slowly but surely, they managed to prise the doors open.

It was then they realised just how much danger they were in. Directly opposite them, the mainframe computer screen held a harrowing message.

_SELF-DESTRUCT MODE ACTIVATED…20 SECONDS REMAINING….19…18…17…_

Jubilee could hear the others' footsteps echoing down the corridors towards them, but it seemed unimportant now. Feeling Bobby take her hand again and squeeze it reassuringly, she glanced over to meet his eyes.

"You're my best friend, Jubes." Bobby whispered. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry about?" Jubilee demanded. "This isn't your fault."

"I don't have a plan." Bobby admitted. "For the first time, I've got no idea what to do."

"Guys?"

Without looking behind her, Jubilee reached back with her spare hand and pulled Jamie to her. "It's alright." She moved towards Bobby a bit more to let Ray pass her.

"How do we shut it down?" Ray asked.

"I don't know!" Bobby sighed. "I can't see any way to override it!"

…_14…13…12…_

Ray formed a ball of electricity. "We'll short-circuit it then."

"Do that and you'll blow us all to pieces."

At the familiar voice, Bobby dropped her hand and spun around. "Scott!"

Cyclops pushed through them to join Ray at the monitor. "Who did this?" He pressed a few keys and the warning message was replaced by a CCTV image of Mystique changing the security arrangements, before morphing into Professor Xavier and walking away.

Scott gritted his teeth. "Never mind. I've got my answer. Let's move!"

No one needed to be told twice.

Pushing Jamie ahead of her, Jubilee sprinted after Tabitha and Amara, who had appeared with Scott, through the hangar, dodging the missiles and projectiles being thrown at them.

Small explosions could be heard as the mainframe of the mansion began to blow.

…_5…4…3_

Sunlight could be seen ahead…

They were almost there…

_**BOOM!!!!**_

**

* * *

**

AN: Thanks to annam8td and Kereea for reviewing this fic so far, but out of 303 hits, that doesn't quite add up. So review please!


	10. Scatter & Rescue

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution, just my version of canon.**

* * *

Chapter Ten – Scatter and Rescue

**August 1996**

It had, without doubt, been the worst day that Kitty could remember.

The Danger Room session that morning had been pointless, the arrival of the Brotherhood a reluctant relief.

Scott's departure had not been foreseen, Kitty had to admit, but she doubted it had made any difference.

She had been teamed with the Brotherhood, as the one most likely to willingly work with them, and they had come up against Colossus, one of Magneto's new Acolytes. Of course, a body of steel and super-strength didn't make him invincible, especially considering that he was outnumbered six-to-one.

That, however, was where their luck had run out.

Minutes after Colossus had fallen, an explosion just out of sight had caught their attention. Then, with a dark smirk, Pietro had taken off, joining his father's side at the top of a nearby skyscraper.

If Kitty was being honest, this had taken her by surprise. She was no telepath, but she did pride herself on being a very good judge of character.

And for Pietro to betray the Brotherhood like that went against everything she had guessed about him.

Then, if things weren't bad enough, just as they met up with the others, Magneto had collapsed the metal structure beneath them, sending them tumbling into even worse trouble; someone had been using the space under the city as a work-shop to create Sentinels – robots that could recognise mutant DNA.

Finally, they had been forced to retreat, but not before Spyke, Rogue, Blob and Beast had all been captured by these new threats.

Wolverine had vanished whilst on the hunt for Sabretooth, so it was a subdued and much reduced group who flew back to the Institute.

Kitty wasn't really paying attention, gazing out of the window. Lance was seated next to her in reflective silence. She knew he was thinking about his errant team-mate; that it was Pietro who had deflected would hurt him more than anyone else. She took his hand and squeezed it lightly, not getting any response, but not expecting to either.

Sighing, she leaned her head against the window, gazing down at the landscape below her. _What I need is a long hot bath, a mug of hot cocoa and more chocolate than I could ever eat._

Then, far below her, interrupting her musings, she caught sight of a patch of brick and plaster. _Now that's odd._

Her gaze slid forwards, noticing more piles scattered across the grass. Then her attention was caught by their origin; a pile of brick and rubble that seemed to have been caused by an immense explosion.

_That's…That's…_

"Professor, we need to land!" Kitty cried. "Now!"

Without question, the jet dropped into a descent and touched down outside all that was left of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

Everyone piled out silently, staring at the remains in shock and horror.

Kitty walked forwards slowly, swallowing hard. _Everything…Everything's gone._ Her eyes scanned the edge of the wreckage, searching for any sign of salvageable material. Then she realised something much, much worse. She must have shown this somehow, because Jean jogged over to her.

"Kitty, what is it?"

"The New Recruits." Kitty murmured, now looking around for their eight team-mates. "Where are they?" She didn't bother waiting for a response. "BOBBY?! AMARA?!"

"JUBILEE?!" Jean called. "COME ON, GUYS; THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!!"

"Er, Jean?" Lance tapped her on the shoulder. "Summers didn't come with us; isn't there a chance he got back in time?"

"Good point." Jean cupped her hands around her mouth. "SCOTT?!"

"We're here."

Both girls spun around to see Scott emerging from the trees, the New Recruits at his heels; he caught Jean as she ran towards them and hugged her almost automatically, keeping his gaze fixed on the group behind her. "But not everyone is."

"There were these robots and…" Jean began, but Scott cut her off.

"That's not what I meant." Scott gently moved her behind him and she turned her attention to the New Recruits.

"All eight are here." Jean frowned. "Plus Tabitha."

Kitty watched Scott closely. It was difficult to tell, but he seemed to be focusing his attention mainly on Professor Xavier.

A horrible thought crept into her mind, but she dismissed it almost immediately.

His jaw set, Scott stalked over to Lance. "Where's Mystique?"

To give Lance credit, he didn't waver. "I don't know."

"Don't give me that!" Scott spat. "I know she turned up last week; Tabitha told us."

Lance's eyes flickered to the blonde, who avoided his gaze.

"Sorry."

"Don't be." Lance turned his attention back to Scott. "Alright, she turned up, dropped Wanda off, yelled at us a bit about never beating you in battle and then left. I don't know where she is."

"So that's why the fight happened." Kurt concluded.

"No." Lance shook his head. "We didn't start that fight."

"Lance, I saw you." Jean told him, looking faintly irritated.

Before another fight could start up, Kitty cleared her throat. "If Mystique was back, isn't it possible that she morphed into Lance and started the fight? Because I know he was with me when it started."

"Actually, that makes sense." Scott agreed, surprising her.

_Scott passing up an opportunity to blame Lance for everything? Is hell freezing over?_

"You see I do know where Mystique is." He continued, turning to the Professor. "She put the mansion into lock-down and set it to blow."

Taking an automatic step backwards, Kitty felt Jamie appear at her elbow and put her arms around him comfortingly.

"You did this! You destroyed it all!"

"Yes." Professor Xavier stood up and shifted back into Mystique. "And things are about to get much, much worse."

There was a soft noise and Scott cursed, pulling his cell-phone out of his pocket. "Hello? Taryn, I can't talk right now; I…what? Mutant? Why would you think…? They were what? We're what? Okay…Taryn, calm down. We'll be careful, I promise. Goodbye." Hanging up, he slipped it away again. "We need to move; you were caught using your powers on a live news broadcast; the police will be here any minute."

"Newsflash, Summers." Lance pointed towards the destroyed gates. "They're already here!"

Automatically, everyone moved. In the time it took for the Brotherhood to shift so that Wanda was behind Lance and Todd, Kitty had convinced Jamie to stick with Jubilee instead and the core team had manoeuvred so that the New Recruits (plus Tabitha) were behind them.

But it was no good. In seconds, patrol cars and cruisers had surrounded them, cops emerging from their vehicles, guns drawn.

"FREEZE!"

Inwardly, Kitty smirked. Yelling that at Bobby was like waving a red flag at a bull.

"No problem!" Bobby covered his body in a layer of ice and he fired – not at the approaching officers, but at the feet of his team-mates, lifting them on a pillar and creating a bridge over the surrounding barricade. "Go! Go! Go!"

With one last glance at him, that seemed heavier than it should have been, Jubilee grasped Jamie's hand and kicked off, leading the way down and into the woods.

As Wanda hexed a path for the remaining Brotherhood to escape, the police moved in. With Jean temporarily distracted making sure the New Recruits got away safely, two officers seized her and locked her into a patrol car.

Before she had time to panic, there was a distinctive _bamf_, a smell of sulphur and Kurt appeared in the driver's seat. "Look at that, Jean; they've left the keys in the ignition. How kind of them."

"Kurt, we can't!" Jean protested.

"Oh, yes we can." Kurt disagreed, starting the engine.

Seeing them, Kitty phased through two men as they closed in and ran through the closed door, falling into the seat beside Jean. "Step on it!"

Kurt sped off, as Storm flew down and caught hold of Scott's arms, lifting him to safety. Bobby sent one last jet of ice at the feet of his pursuers and caught up to the car, which stopped just long enough to pick him up, before Jean lifted it up and flew it over the roadblock designed to stop them.

* * *

"Avalanche, bury them."

The order came firmly, casually and with a smirk that would strike fear into anyone's hearts.

With the help of SHIELD agent, Nick Fury, the X-Men and the Brotherhood had teamed up to procure the Velocity from authorities and break into Area 51, where their missing team-mates were being held.

Of course, it was never going to be easy, and their luck had just about run out; the building was going into security lock-down and the advancing soldiers were going to do all they could to prevent them from getting out before that happened.

At Mystique's voice, Kitty felt a flood of horror run through her. She saw the same emotion pass across the faces of their pursuers, before their expressions hardened with determination; Mystique's order combined with Lance's code-name had made it very clear what his powers were.

Kitty's gaze slid to Lance, silently pleading with him once again to remember who he was. She still didn't know why he had chosen to join the Brotherhood over finding them and taking Jean's offer, and she hadn't pushed for a reason, but Mystique had some sort of hold over him that meant that, at times like this, he acted like someone he wasn't, so much so that it scared her.

Lance lifted a hand and faltered. "Iceman, I think you're slightly more appropriate here."

Bobby caught on immediately and created a thick wall of ice in front of the soldiers, slowing them down considerably.

"Avalanche, when I give you an order, I expect you to follow it!"

Lance ignored her. "I think it's time to get out of here."

Scott gave Lance a look that may have signalled respect, before ushering Jean and Kitty ahead of him. "Let's move."

"There's a way out over here." Bobby called, beginning to scale a ladder. He clambered out onto the roof and took Kitty's hand to help her up as well.

As the night air hit her face, Kitty looked out across the chaos on the ground, as spotlights scanned for any sight of them. She shivered, both from the cold and from the realisation that they were now on the run, with people chasing them, wanting to hurt them. _Or worse. _Her mind supplied.

A gentle hand landed on her shoulder and she glanced up into Lance's face. Ignoring the presence of her team-mates, she leaned into him, closing her eyes, feeling his arm tighten around her shoulders.

One by one, their fellows joined them – Kitty had to give Fred a hand – and huddled on the roof, watching the soldiers down below to make sure they hadn't yet been spotted.

When Scott emerged just before Mystique, however, their attentions were diverted, when he turned and shut the grate.

"What are you doing?" Mystique demanded.

"Tell me where Professor Xavier is." Scott told her calmly.

"Don't be an idiot!" The woman snapped. "Let me out!"

Scott didn't flinch. "Tell me where the Professor is or I'll leave you here."

"You don't have the…" But Mystique was cut off mid-sentence; the security measures finally completed and the cover closed in her face.

"Jean, tell Storm where we are." Scott commanded. "Avalanche, we don't have time for this."

Lance raised an eyebrow, not moving from Kitty's side. "Time for what? Oh, you think I'm complaining?"

"You work for her." Scott pointed out.

"You didn't give me much of a choice." Lance shot back coldly.

"Guys…" Bobby cut them off, forestalling an argument. "Where's Rogue?"

"She came up ahead of me." Jean answered glancing around.

"I know." Bobby agreed. "I helped her up; where is she?"

"Uh oh." Lance muttered, pointing into the sky. "Is that what I think it is?"

Kitty peered up to see an unmistakeable metal orb speeding away. "Yes. Yes, it is."

"Oh no!" Jean groaned. "We'll never catch up with it!"

"We don't need to." Kitty told her as the Velocity came to a stop above their heads. "We think one Acolyte's being blackmailed and another's fallen for Amara. Rogue's met Gambit before and, if you take him out, that means it's only three on one."

"And for Rogue, that's not bad odds." Lance finished, giving Kitty a leg up as the hatch opened. "Besides, with the anti-mutant feeling at the moment, she's probably safer than we are."

**

* * *

**

AN: In case you hadn't realised, Taryn's not going to be a complete bi-otch in this :) Review please!


	11. Trapped

**Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

Chapter Eleven – Trapped

**September 1996**

Several days later, Amara opened her eyes, coming round with a groan. She was lying on cold, damp stone and she shivered, trying to work out where she was and how she got there. After she and the other New Recruits had begun running, it was all a blur. She supposed that the authorities must have managed to catch her, but that didn't quite make sense; something wasn't quite right.

Peering around, she realised that the room was almost pitch black; automatically, she tried summoning a ball of flame to her hand to give her some light.

Nothing happened.

Before she had time to panic, there was a noise outside the door and she promptly slumped back to the ground, pretending to be unconscious. _Maybe this way I can figure out what's going on._

The door opened and light fell across her; she fought to keep her face impassive, even when her presence was greeted by a gasp.

"Amara!"

_Shit. I know that voice._

"What did you do to her, you…?"

"Now, Pyro, no need to worry." Another voice cut him off. "The girl is simply unconscious."

Footsteps neared her and a gentle hand brushed the hair away from her face. Amara tried to think of some way to let John know she was conscious, but nothing came to mind.

"If she's hurt…"

"You are hardly in a position to complain." The other voice finished. "You are my Acolyte, Pyro; that means that I say jump, you say…"

"How high, Boss?" John answered sullenly.

"Good."

_That's Magneto._ Amara's mind told her. _This is not good._

"I'm wit' Johnny on this." Yet another voice – this one heavily accented – spoke up, not as close this time. "I don't t'ink it's fair, kidnapping an innocent girl."

"Our guests are going to help us stop this witch-hunt." Magneto told him.

"First of all, guests?" The new voice asked. "Second, it's your fault this witch-hunt's happenin' in the first place."

"Yes, guests." Magneto confirmed. "And you forget your own place, Gambit. Tomorrow morning, the state of New York will be plunged into a power-cut and by the time it has lifted, America will be too busy focusing on the war brewing to worry about us."

"I thought you said that machine was too risky." John said, his hand moving to take Amara's. Taking a chance, she squeezed lightly, feeling him stiffen slightly beside her. "You said that you were the only person who could power it and that it would kill you, so you weren't going to use it."

"Rogue…" Gambit whispered from the doorway.

"Exactly." Magneto agreed.

"What war?" John asked now. "I haven't heard anything about a war."

"That's because there isn't one." Magneto told him. "Yet. But you know who this young girl is, don't you? I doubt her parents would be very happy if something were to happen to her."

_He knows._ Amara realised, horror coursing through her. _But he doesn't. Nova Roma doesn't have any sort of army for war; it's too small. Mother and Father wouldn't have any choice but to just accept it!_

"That's murder." Gambit stated, his voice sharper and clearer now.

"How did you know?" John whispered, his hand tightening around Amara's. "I never…"

"Your mental shields are pathetically weak." Magneto interrupted. "I simply had Mastermind lift the information out of your head."

"You bastard!" John's presence left her side.

"I'm not standin' for this!" Gambit stated as more footsteps fell nearer. "You can take your job and shove it!"

What happened next, Amara wasn't sure; there was a loud scuffle, a lot of shouting and several gusts of wind.

Then there was silence.

"What now, Father?"

_Pietro?! _Amara's mind screamed. _I don't know why I'm surprised but … I thought he was better than this! A jerk, yeah, but evil?_

"Fetch the power inhibitor I fashioned for Gambit." Magneto answered. "Sabretooth, take him to the other girl's cell."

"Should I fetch Pyro's as well?" Pietro asked.

"No. As long as he has no way of accessing flame, he won't need one."

Yet another voice spoke, this one touched by a different accent. "I feel…"

Magneto cut him off coldly. "Need I remind you, Colossus, that your situation is much more precarious than theirs? You know what is at stake."

"Yes, sir."

"And what about Pyro, Father?"

"Leave him here." Magneto ordered. "Come. We have work to do."

Amara heard the door close firmly behind them and opened her eyes. The light had once again diminished, leaving them in darkness. "John?"

"Amara, are you alright? Did he hurt you? I swear I knew nothing about this."

"I know." Amara soothed, her eyes finally becoming accustomed to the dim light. "I'm fine." Now she could see his face, pale and scared-looking. "Are you alright?"

"Not really." John muttered. "I have a strong and crippling fear of darkness."

Amara felt a pang of sympathy. "I guess it's related to your powers." She reached out and took his hand again, feeling it shaking within hers. She decided to change the subject and try to take his mind off their surroundings. "Speaking of powers, why can't I use mine?"

"A power inhibitor." John answered and, for the first time, Amara noticed the strange metal bracelet around her arm.

"Magneto's managed to create these?" She examined it. "Oh, that's not good."

"He hasn't got many." John hastened to assure her. "They have to be very specific. He can't make one for Rogue, for example."

"Why not?" Amara asked curiously.

"Because it's impossible to predict what psyches are in her head and reachable." John responded, sounding as though he were quoting someone.

The beginnings of an idea flickered in Amara's head. "So this inhibitor was made to stop my powers … and did he get my powers from your head as well?"

"I guess so." John answered hesitantly. "I'd have noticed Mastermind coming this way and he'd expect you to tell me everything once you trusted me."

Amara smirked to herself, but bided her time_._ "John, I need to ask you something and I want you to be completely and totally honest with me. Did you mean what you wrote?"

For a second, John faltered. Then, slowly, he reached out and brushed her hair out of her face. "Amara, I have never meant anything more in my entire life. When I'm not with you, I don't feel…I don't feel right. Like part of me is missing. You complete me, love." Releasing her hand, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, gently pressing his lips to hers.

In all the time they had spent together, he had never kissed her, except for a quick peck goodnight.

But this was nothing like that. His lips moved over hers, sending a shot of raw emotion shuddering through her, and he gently coaxed her mouth open. His tongue darted against hers, inviting her in to a playful dance.

Finally, the need for air became too great and she reluctantly broke the kiss, leaning back in his arms. "I love you."

John smiled at her and pulled her into a hug, resting his chin atop her head. "I'm so sorry this has to end like this."

Amara smirked. "Who says it has to?"

"Amara, we're trapped." John reminded her, relaxing his hold just enough to look down into her eyes. "Unless you've got a lighter somewhere on you…"

"John, I'm a human lighter, remember?" Amara teased.

"You've got a power inhibitor." John sighed.

"And, if I'm right, it won't work properly." Amara told him, her smirk growing a little bigger. "I didn't tell you everything about my powers."

"You…You didn't?" John asked.

"Nope." Amara shook her head. "I figured I was better safe than sorry."

John's face broke into a grin and he kissed her quickly. "Amara, you're amazing!"

"Hang on!" Amara laughed, a faint blush tingeing her face. "I don't know if it's going to work yet." She moved out of his embrace and stood up. "You'd better move back a bit; I don't know how this is going to pan out."

"Right." John got to his feet as well and took a few steps backwards.

Closing her eyes, Amara took a few deep breaths, forcing her mind to stay blank. _Come on, Magma; you only did this the other day._

Suddenly, the blackness dissolved into red and orange flames, flickering behind her eyelids. The bracelet on her wrist cracked and sparked before shorting out completely and fire erupted from her hands, engulfing her completely.

Relief flooded her, as she opened her eyes to see John gaping at her in pure astonishment; she smiled coyly. "Well?"

"Wow." John stated hoarsely. "I mean…I always knew you were beautiful, but…"

Amara would have blushed if she'd been able to. "Does that have anything to do with you being a complete pyromaniac?"

"Probably." John answered honestly, still gazing at her. "But it has more to do with the fact that I'm completely crazy about you."

Amara formed a ball of fire and tossed it towards him. "Think fast."

John held up a hand and it halted in front of him. "What's the plan?"

"Who needs a plan?" Amara grinned at him. "But I promised myself that I'd never use any fire puns, so it's all yours."

The fireball expanded, spreading around them, leaving them surrounded by a raging ring of fire. John embraced her, ignoring the searing heat. "I think it's time we teach Magsy that he can't play with fire without getting burned."

* * *

On the other side of Magneto's base, Rogue sat across from Remy, hugging her knees to her chest.

Unlike her team-mate, she had known immediately what had happened when she woke up, remembering metal tentacles pulling her into an orb filled with knock-out gas.

She had barely stirred when the door flew open and an unconscious Gambit was thrown in, landing heavily a few feet away from him.

Still drowsy, Rogue had looked up to see Sabretooth stalk away, leaving Pietro standing in the open doorway.

For a second, remorse and pain had crossed his face, but then it had gone, replaced by an emotionless façade and the door had slammed shut again.

Giving up on trying to figure out her former-team-mate and one-time friend, Rogue had crawled over to Gambit to see if he was okay.

It was then she had noticed that her gloves had vanished and the sleeves of her uniform had torn so her lower arms were bare. She had resorted to nudging his covered shoulder to rouse him and he had soon come around.

After making sure she was unharmed, he had explained Magneto's plan and the subsequent danger it held for her and Amara.

Now they were sat in silence. Though her gaze was averted, staring at the wall, Rogue could tell he was watching her closely.

Finally, he spoke. "Y' seem very calm for someone who's about t' die."

Rogue glanced at him and managed a small smile. "Worrying about what's going to happen takes a lot of energy, Gambit. Besides, you said this machine's never been used; there's a chance I'll survive. And even if I don't, at least I won't have to deal with all the shit that follows."

"_D'accord_." Remy nodded absently.

"I'm more worried about Amara." Rogue admitted, her smile vanishing.

"Magsy left Johnny in there wit' her." Remy told her. "He'll find a way t' save her even if it kills him."

"Well, you know him better than I do." Rogue sighed. A sudden thought came to her. "How did he find out about who she was in the first place?"

"Had Mastermind read Johnny's mind." Remy answered shortly.

_I just hope Amara kept certain things to herself and asks the right questions. _Unlike her team-mates, Rogue already knew about the power inhibitors and how they worked, and she knew that there was a possibility Amara could over-ride hers, as long as she thought the right way.

"Been meaning t' ask you, _chérie_," Remy addressed her again, catching her attention, "y' from down South?"

Rogue nodded. "Mississippi. Raised there at least. I'm adopted." She explained at his questioning glance.

Under normal circumstances, she would avoid conversation, but with nothing else to do but wait for certain death, silence seemed pointless.

"_Moi aussi_." Remy nodded. "Magsy mentioned earlier that y' can't control your mutation."

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "No. I'd have thought that was common knowledge."

"How long have y' had it?" Remy asked.

"Two years." Rogue answered. "Give or take. Why all the questions?"

Remy shrugged, his eyes boring into her. "Just curious. Must be difficult living without human contact. Not being able t' tell most people, so forcing them t' keep their distance. Keeping your friends at arms' length in case y' hurt them."

Rogue stiffened. He had just summed up her feelings about her mutation in a few short sentences. "You telepathic as well?"

"No. Emphatic." Remy corrected. "But that wasn't how I knew. Just figured that's how I'd feel if it was me."

Rogue began to feel a little uncomfortable. He was still on the other side of the cell, but he felt too close for comfort. "What about you? How long have you been mutant?"

"Well, I've had these eyes as long as I can remember." Remy told her. "_Mes parents_ abandoned me because of them."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of playing cards, shuffling them habitually. "I ended up on the streets o' New Orleans, stealing for a living. One day, _quand__j'ai__ six __ans_, I was caught by a man I'd just picked the pocket of. He didn't seem put off by my eyes and took me in. His name was Jean-Luc LeBeau, the head of the Thieves' Guild. He had another son, Henri, who adopted me as a little brother. When I was fourteen, my powers appeared. Jean-Luc, of course, saw this as an opportunity. Due to that and…other circumstances, I left New Orleans and travelled north. Bout a year ago, I bumped into Magsy, who offered me a job. It paid, so I didn't ask."

Rogue didn't push him for any more information. "What's the deal with you and cards anyway?"

Remy smirked. "It's like having 52 explosives tucked away in one pocket." He selected one and gazed at it for a few seconds. "This one's special."

"The Queen of Hearts?" Rogue questioned.

"My lucky lady." Remy nodded. "Got me out of more holes than I care to remember."

Rogue sighed. "Let's hope she can get us out of this one then."

"Rogue."

At the use of her name, and not some French term of endearment, Rogue started and focused completely on her companion, who was looking more serious than she'd ever seen him. "Yes?"

Remy lifted his arm to show a metal bracelet fastened around his wrist. "This power inhibitor means there's nothing I can do t' get us out of here until Sabretooth and Magneto come for y'. I haven't even got anything that would let me pick the lock. I do have an idea, but I need t' know exactly how your powers work."

Rogue was puzzled. "Well, they're not exactly complicated. I touch someone and their powers, life-force, thoughts and memories flow into me."

Remy chucked. "That wasn't what I meant. I know you can't turn it on or off, but can y' control how much of someone you take?"

"Not really." Rogue admitted. "If I was to brush against you right now, I'd take the top layer of you conscience – everything you're thinking and feeling at the moment, as well as some of your personality."

"Any of my powers?" Remy pressed.

"No." Rogue shook her head. "I'd have to hold on longer and you'd end up unconscious."

"It'll have to do." Remy sighed. "Right; here's the plan. Y' take my powers, blast the door open, find your friend and get her and Johnny out of here."

"What about you?" Rogue asked, reluctantly getting to her feet. "Magneto will know you let me go."

"I'll think of something." Remy told her, watching her approach.

Swallowing hard, Rogue knelt beside him, reaching out a hand. Just before it reached his face, she stopped and searched his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Smiling weakly, Remy held up the Queen of Hearts and slipped it into her other hand. "Take care of yourself."

Feeling her throat become constricted with an unfamiliar type of emotion, Rogue closed the distance between them and touched his cheek, closing her eyes as his psyche flooded into hers.

She remained still for a few seconds, fighting for control, before opening her eyes and standing up.

Remy hadn't fallen from where he'd been braced against the wall, but his eyes were closed and she smiled sadly, before turning to the door, searching his memories for how the powers worked.

As she reached out and grasped the door-frame, Rogue stopped, Jean's voice suddenly appearing in her head.

_Rogue! Rogue, where are you?!_

Wincing, Rogue let go again, focusing her efforts on replying. _Jean, there's no need to shout; I can hear you perfectly._

_Where are you?!_

_Magneto's base. Amara's here too. Listen… _Rogue quickly summarised Magneto's plan and Pyro and Gambit's desertion.

For obvious reasons, this didn't calm Jean down. _Rogue, you've got to do something; we can't get to you…_

_Jean, would you relax?! _Rogue sighed inside her head. _I've got a plan, alright? Trust me._ She forced the conversation to end and refocused on the door. Grasping the frame once more, she charged it, causing it to begin glowing ominously.

Then, as she let go, a hand caught hers, pulling her back as the door exploded outwards.

"Careful!"

At the familiar voice, Rogue spun around to see Remy grinning at her. "How did you wake up so quickly?"

"I never blacked out." Remy told her. "Felt a little disorientated, but that was it."

"It's probably your emphatic abilities." Rogue decided. "Logan's similar."

"Yeah, _mais_ I did feel a pull last time." Remy disagreed. "That doesn't explain this." He lifted their joined hands.

Neither of them were wearing gloves.

**

* * *

**

AN: Quick note about accents: I hate writing them. I've done my best with Gambit's but I'm not going to attempt anyone else's. Also, I've read some fanfics in which Remy talks in third person, which happened in TAS and (I think) in the comics, but as far as I'm aware, he doesn't do it in Evo, so he won't here.

**Please review; I'm getting a lot of hits and next to no comments!!!**


	12. Escape

**Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

Chapter Twelve

**September 1996**

Rogue stared at their joined hands in shock. "How…?" Her mind raced. She had felt his psyche flow into him; that never happened when she absorbed Logan's healing factor: his thoughts stayed where they were.

Now there wasn't even any sign of her powers. His hand remained closed around hers, causing nothing but a strange fluttering sensation in her chest, which she promptly ignored.

"Maybe we should focus on that later." Remy suggested, nodding towards the hole where the door had once been.

"Right." Rogue agreed quickly, shaking herself from her thoughts. The two ran out into the metal-lined corridor, only feel searing heat reach them.

"Thank God!" Rogue sighed. "Amara must not have told Pyro everything. She's over-ridden the power inhibitor."

"Well, that should make things easier." Remy commented, holding up his hand. "But that doesn't help me get rid of this."

Rogue examined in. "It looks like it needs Magneto's powers to open it."

"It does." Remy confirmed.

Before Rogue could say anything more, Magneto, Sabretooth, Quicksilver and Colossus appeared, forced backwards by the flames.

Rogue smirked to herself. She needed to know if her powers were still working and she'd just found a volunteer.

Distracted by the raging fire, Magneto never saw her hand reach out and touch the exposed skin of his face underneath his helmet. He slumped to the ground and she quickly used the absorbed power to undo the power inhibitor.

Remy flexed his hand to get his circulation moving again and charged a couple of cards, through them into the fray as well to keep his former team-mates occupied. "Thanks." He raised his voice. "Pyro! Move it or lose it!"

"On our way!" An Australian voice responded. A jet of fire flew out of the inferno and surrounded the remaining Acolytes, keeping them trapped in a hellish circle, and Pyro and Magma ran out to join them.

When he saw Amara, Remy did a double-take. "I see what you mean. Okay, let's move."

Rogue cast one last glance towards their enemies. "That's not going to kill them, is it? I mean, Pietro's an ass and all, but he doesn't deserve that. Just. And the Prof reckoned that Colossus was being blackmailed."

"He is." John told her.

"The flames won't get any closer." Amara assured her. "They'll die out once we're far enough."

"Alright." Rogue conceded. "Let's go!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the X-Men were hidden in a cave, high above Bayville. It had been a good four days – no one was really counting – since their escape from Area 51 and things hadn't gotten any better.

They had salvaged what little food had been stored in the Velocity in case of an emergency and spread it out over the last few days, but that hadn't been much and all five were beginning to feel the strain of exhaustion and gradual starvation.

That morning, word had reached them of a hearing in New York City to decide what to do about mutants and Storm and Beast had made their way there, to speak on mutants' behalf.

Wolverine had gone down to see if he could get them something to eat and the remainder of the team were responding to the situation in their own little ways.

Kurt and Evan, forever needing to feel like they were doing something constructive, were trying to get Evan's mini-TV to work so the group could watch the hearing.

Bobby and Kitty were sitting against the cave wall, both consumed with worry, not for themselves, but for someone close to them.

Bobby, of course, was worrying about Jubilee. He tried to tell himself that he was worried about the rest of his team as well, and he was, but she was constantly at the forefront of his thoughts.

Kitty's mind was firmly on Lance and the rest of the Brotherhood. It had been decided, in the only civil conversation between Lance and Scott that Kitty could remember, that the two teams would split up, so as to make it harder to found. At the time, a sound plan, but now it had been carried out, Kitty could see several huge flaws; the largest being that the X-Men had the Velocity if they were found. The Brotherhood had nothing. Her gaze moved from the opposite wall to the cave-mouth, where blue sky and sun could just be glimpsed, as if mocking her inability to enjoy it. She sighed heavily, praying that Lance and Fred had met up with Todd and Wanda safely. _I guess they didn't need to go and check that Magneto had been killed by Wanda dropping that Sentinel on top of him. We'd have found out sooner or later. But I guess that wasn't enough for her, poor girl. I hope they're okay. Lance, please stay safe._

Hearing her sigh, Bobby extracted his arm from between them and slipped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Before, Kitty had noticed the differences between her team-mates, but she had failed to see the one thing that bonded them. Future goals aside, they were a family and she rested her head on her brother's shoulder, knowing that they could get through this, as long as they were united. Unfortunately, for the moment, they were not.

Jean was pacing up and down, fear coursing through her, not just for herself, but for every single member of her family, both X-Men and biological; she knew there was a chance her mother and Eric would be victimised because of this. Despite her best efforts, she had yet to contact any of the New Recruits. Even Amara was beyond her reach, which was strange, since Rogue was not and they were, apparently, in the same place. Consoling herself with the possibility that Magneto's base was, potentially, huge, Jean turned on her heel.

As she did so, she caught sight of Scott, leaning against the wall at the cave-mouth, staring out over Bayville, and changed direction, coming to a stop behind him. "Scott? Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" Scott responded abruptly. "We should be out looking for them!"

"Look, Scott, I've made contact with Rogue." Jean soothed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's difficult, but she can take care of herself and Amara's with her, alright?"

"And they're with Magneto!" Scott snapped. "Anything could be happening!"

Jean bit her lip. She hadn't yet shared Magneto's plan, not wanting to worry anyone else. "I won't lie to you, Scott; they're in danger. A lot of danger. And if Rogue's plan doesn't work, we're going to lose two of our team-mates permanently. But I have faith in her. And you should too. And I truly believe that, wherever Professor Xavier is, he's alright."

Scott finally smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Thanks, Jean. You always know how to make me feel better."

Jean returned his smile, but couldn't help feeling a little awkward. "Have you heard from Taryn at all?"

"No." Scott shook his head. "I got a brief text from Amanda saying that she was thinking of all of us and to give Kurt her love, but I don't want any of us to call anyone just in case…"

"Just in case the calls can be traced." Jean finished. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Are you worried about what'll happen with Taryn?"

"Jean, that's the least of my worries." Scott rolled his eyes behind his glasses; she had always been able to tell when he was doing that. "Even if it was all over and we were safe back at the mansion, I wouldn't be worried; we've practically broken up anyway."

"Oh?" Jean silently begged him to continue, feeling a little guilty for the small spark of hope inside her.

"Well, she's been away all summer, so we've only really talked on the phone." Scott shrugged. "We came to the conclusion about a week ago that it just wasn't going to work between us. We both decided it'd be better to break up face-to-face rather than over the phone."

"Then make sure you tell the others that." Jean cautioned. "Or they'll think the worse of her."

"I will." Scott promised. He hesitated for a second. "Jean, I…"

With a loud bamf and a smell of burning sulphur, Kurt appeared between them, forcing them aside. "How's the reception from here?" He asked, holding up the TV.

"Lousy." Scott answered grumpily. "Like your timing."

Jean rested a hand on his arm. "They only want to know how the hearing's going."

"I can tell you how it's going." Scott stated. "Terribly. No one wants to hear our side of things! By the time they're ready to hear that, we'll have starved to death up here!"

"I thought it was the leader's job to keep morale _up_?" Kitty asked bitingly. "As opposed to making us all even more suicidal."

_Jean!_

"Quiet, all of you!" Jean snapped. "Rogue just made contact." _Rogue? Where are you?_

_It's alright; we're fine. _Rogue assured her, her words appearing in rush. _Where are you?_

_We're in the caves above Bayville. Are you still in town?_

_I don't know._ Rogue admitted. _Gambit and Pyro say we're just outside and we're surrounded by a lot of trees._

_Well, that's alright then; you can't be too far. _Jean froze. _Did you just say Gambit and Pyro?_

_Yes. I told you earlier, remember?_

_That was the last thing I was focusing on. _Jean snapped. _You'd just told me Magneto was planning on killing you both._

_They're on our side, Jean; I promise._

Before Jean could retort, there was a roar of a motorcycle and Wolverine came speeding through the cave entrance, skidding to a halt. _Hold that thought, Rogue; stay where you are!_

"We have a problem." Wolverine announced, leaping off the bike.

"You think?" Jean responded dryly, as two military choppers came hovering into view. "What do we do?"

"Fight." Logan answered, unleashing his claws with a faint snarl.

"No!" Scott disagreed. He turned to Bobby. "Iceman, buy us some time!"

"You got it." Bobby aimed his hands at the cave entrance and created a solid wall.

Logan rounded on Scott. "Listen, kid…"

"No." Scott stood firm. "We're not kids anymore, Logan. We're the X-Men. You trained us. And you know what? We're good." As missiles rained down on them, he shot several beams through the hole at the top of the ice, knocking them out of the sky. "We're very good."

"Fine." Logan snapped. "You wanna take charge? You're on your own." Snapping the helmet back on, he mounted the bike again and took off.

Scott scowled and turned his attention to the choppers. "X-Men, bring them down."

* * *

Down in the depth of the forest, Rogue slowed her run and motioned for the others to do the same. "Jeannie says to stay where we are." She glanced over at her team-mate. "Power down, Magma; you'll cause an accident at this rate."

Amara nodded and the flames surrounding her body disappeared, leaving her in her slightly tattered X-uniform.

A silence descended upon them for a few minutes, while they caught their breath. A cool September breeze swept past them and Amara shivered, not really from cold, but from the sudden reality of how close she had come to losing her life.

As if reading her mind, John put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

Rogue was braced against a tree-trunk opposite them, staring at her bare hands, wondering what exactly had just happened. _Was it him? Was it me? What's going on here? _Making a split-second decision, she stood up and moved over to Amara and John. "Amara?"

"Hmm?" Amara lifted her head from John's shoulder. "What's up?"

"I think I've got control of my powers." Rogue told her quietly.

Amara started. "Pardon?"

Rogue nodded. "I can touch Gambit without absorbing him."

Possibly foreseeing a private conversation looming, John kissed Amara's forehead, pulled his arm from around her and got to his feet, wandering over to where Remy was leaning against yet another tree.

"Thing is, he's emphatic." Rogue explained. "So that might be why."

"Like Mr. Logan's healing?" Amara asked knowingly. "So what now?"

"I want your permission to try with you." Rogue told her. "The moment I feel a pull, I'll let go; I promise. You'll end up dazed, at worst."

"Okay." Amara said immediately. "If it helps."

"Thank you." Rogue lifted a hand and touched Amara's face gently.

Nothing happened.

On a whim, Rogue focused on filtering a tiny piece of Amara's power. There was a slight pull, Amara gasped and Rogue let go immediately.

"What was that?" Amara asked. "I didn't feel any of my thoughts go."

"I didn't get any of them." Rogue told her. "That's why. I think…" She opened her hand and summoned a ball of flame.

"I thought you had to knock someone out in order to take their powers." Amara frowned.

"I did." Rogue confirmed, feeling slightly giddy. "That's because the thoughts would come first and then the powers. By the time I got to them, I'd absorbed too much of the life force for the other person to stay conscious. Now I can pick and choose what I take."

"But why has it taken so long?" Amara asked. "And why now?"

"If y' don't mind," Remy spoke up, "I've got a theory 'bout that."

"Oh?" Rogue prompted.

"When y' first got your powers, y' were scared, so y' couldn't control them, right?" Remy asked.

Rogue nodded; it had been a terrifying experience.

"And since then, you've known y' can't control your powers, so every time y' used them, y' wanted to absorb someone, didn't y'?" Remy continued. "Ideally, y' wanted them knocked out."

"I…" Rogue hesitated. She couldn't remember accidentally absorbing anyone in the last two years; she'd been too careful. "Yes."

"But y' didn't _want_ t' absorb me earlier; y' had to." Remy finished. "It was the first time y' had a chance t' control your powers."

Although an awkward explanation, and Rogue could see the confusion still in Amara's face, she understood what he meant and had to admit that it made sense. "Okay. Well, we'll go with that, because I can't think of anything else it could be."

Without warning, Jean's voice exploded into her head again. _Rogue, they've found us! The military is everywhere! We've managed to get to the Velocity, but we can't get to you; Juggernaut's out and he's attacking the dam!_

Rogue cursed out loud. _Don't worry about us; just sort that out and we'll find you. _"We need to stay low; the others have been found and the military are nearby."

"Are the others okay?" Amara asked immediately.

"Jean says they've escaped." Rogue answered grimly. "But they've had to head for the dam; Juggernaut's attacking."

"The dam?" John questioned. "If that gets broken, we may as well give up now!"

"Who is Juggernaut?" Amara frowned.

"Hold on." Rogue told her. "Which way is the dam?"

John cast a look around. "Well…logic dictates that it's where the wind's coming from." He licked a finger and held it up. "So that way."

"Come on." Rogue led the way. "Juggernaut is Professor Xavier's half-brother.

Apparently, he used mysticism to wake his mutation and he's now practically invulnerable. His only weakness is his mind and he wears a helmet to block mind attacks. If we can get that off, then maybe we can make some headway, but Jean's nowhere near powerful enough to stop him psychically. We'll have to find another way."

"Hold on!" Amara called. "Do you hear that?"

Rogue paused and listened intently. Sure enough, there was a low hum in the air that resembled… "That's the _Velocity_!" _Jean, you're above us right now!_

"Where?" Amara cried, shielding her eyes.

"Send up a flare." Rogue told her.

"What if it's not the _Velocity_?" Amara worried.

Rogue sighed. "Amara, the _Velocity _is the only jet in America, possibly the world, that was made purely from non-metallic material; it's a very distinctive sound. Just trust me."

Amara sighed. "Alright. If you say so." She formed a ball of flame and threw it upwards, aiming carefully, so that it slipped through the branches, hovered above the trees and then extinguished.

Seconds later, the hum grew louder and the grass and leaves around them began to stir as the _Velocity_ appeared above the trees.

The hatch opened and a familiar red-headed figure appeared, dressed in red and green spandex, her arms outstretched.

Rogue couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as her feet left the floor. After what seemed like an age, the ramp was in reach and she caught hold of the bar and pulled herself in, seeing her companions do the same.

Bobby hurried over and took hold of Amara's hand, pulling her in as well and sweeping her into a hug. "Dammit, Amara; I thought we'd lost you!"

Jean pulled the hatch closed. "We're good to go, Scott!"

As the jet soared off, Rogue collapsed into a seat, her legs beginning to shake slightly as the events of the last few hours caught up with her. "Oh, Gambit and Pyro are sticking with us for a while, okay?"

Scott muttered something, but no one really caught it apart from Jean, who snapped, "Scott!" and then asked, "Just for a while?"

"Well, let's start with that and move upwards." Rogue suggested, closing her eyes.

Amara pulled away from Bobby, not bothering to hide her tears of relief. "Bobby, are you crying?"

"No." Bobby hastily wiped his face. "I've just got something in my eyes, that's all."

"Uh huh." Amara didn't sound convinced. "Bobby, this is John Allerdyce. John, this is Bobby "Iceman" Drake, my team leader and self-appointed older brother."

As Kitty called her over, Bobby, without hesitation, held his hand out to shake John's hand. Once Amara was out of earshot, he leaned forwards. "If you hurt her, you'll have all seven of us out for your blood. You know that, right?"

"If I ever hurt her, I'll deserve everything you do to me." John responded.

Bobby grinned at him. "Welcome to the X-Men."

"How far are we from the dam?" Amara asked, missing the by-play.

"About ten minutes." Scott answered. "At the least."

"And are we sure going after Juggernaut is a good idea?" Rogue questioned. "It could be the sentinel disaster all over again."

"Professor Xavier would tell us to forget the risk and save the innocent people who could be killed just because Juggernaut's got a superiority complex." Kitty reminded her, eyeing her curiously. "Do you want to change? There's a spare uniform in the back."

Rogue glanced down at her bare arms. "No, I'll be fine." She assured her room-mate, patting her hand comfortingly.

Kitty watched the action open-mouthed; her own gloves, although normally part of her uniform, were absent due to the unusual heat in the jet. "Rogue…how are you…?"

Jean glanced over and her mouth dropped open as well. "Rogue?"

Rogue held her bare hand out. "It's fine."

Jean hesitated, trepidation in her eyes.

Rogue sighed. "Jean, I wouldn't be doing this unless I was certain."

Kurt joined them. "She's right, Jean. I trust her." He reached out and took her hand in his furry one. "Congratulations."

Looking sheepish, Jean hugged her. "I'm sorry. I should have trusted you."

"Forget it." Rogue told her and meant it.

"How did you get control?" Jean asked curiously.

"Well, we're not entirely sure…" Rogue admitted.

"We think it's because she's always been careful and the only time she's ever made skin contact before was to knock someone out or absorb their powers." Remy continued.

"But when Remy asked me to absorb his powers earlier, I didn't want to knock him out so I didn't." Rogue finished.

Satisfied that his younger team-mate was alright, Bobby settled down next to Kitty and smirked at her. "Aw, they're starting to finish each other's sentences, Kit; isn't that sweet?"

Kitty swatted his hand. "Shut up!"

"How did you escape the other choppers?" Amara asked curiously.

"Took them down." Kitty told her. "Gently, of course. Kurt and I short-circuited the weapons' system and Jean pulled them down telekinetically."

"No casualties." Jean concluded.

"Here we are." Scott announced, cutting into the discussion. "I'm taking her down."

**

* * *

**

AN: For those of you who don't know, or haven't realised, I am English in origin. Whilst I'm aware of the larger language changes between the two countries (two nations separated by a common language, I believe is the saying) - i.e. tap/faucet and so on – it has been pointed out to me that phrases like 'bloody hell' and 'bugger off' are more common here in England than in America, so if I do make a mistake like that, I'd be grateful if you could let me know.

**And even if I don't, it'd be nice if you could review anyway; statistics don't lie and the last chapter had 93 hits and only four reviews, which doesn't add up. There really is no reason for you not to review; I welcome anonymous reviewers and try to respond to all signed reviewers. Even if all you put is 'good job' or 'it sucked', I don't mind. Just give me some reason not to think that 89 people hate the story and only 4 like it.**


	13. Mended Team, Broken Heart

**Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution doesn't belong to me; I'm just playing with them.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen – Mended Team; Broken Heart

**September 1996**

As the _Velocity_ came to rest atop one of the rocky hills either side of the Bayville dam, the damage was clearly visible; right at the top, a large hole had been left, water gushing through it.

On the other side, the X-Men could hear the frantic screams and cries of residents trying desperately to escape the coming wave of terror.

As they watched, a military helicopter came hurtling over the top of the dam and Kurt moved instinctively, teleporting straight into the other cockpit. A split-second later, he reappeared next to the TV cameras down by the shore of the reservoir with the frightened pilots, as the chopper crashed into the side of the dam, thankfully not causing anymore damage. He spared a quick grin to the startled reporters and teleported back to where his fellows had emerged from the helijet.

Their appearance caught the Juggernaut's attention and he leapt onto the top of a huge generator.

"Spyke!" Scott called.

"Got it." Evan shot a couple of spikes at the generator, which buckled, causing Juggernaut to fall; following on, Bobby sent some ice down, sending Juggernaut sliding over the edge. Kitty didn't need prompting and dived after him, phasing him into the dam and trapping him. Kurt teleported down after her and began undoing his helmet.

Jean didn't wait to see how successful they were. "Iceman, I'll need your help!" She jumped from the top of the dam, provoking gasps and screams from the people who had gathered below, but stopped in midair. Concentrating hard, she caught the wave telekinetically, stopping it just before it could reach the first set of houses, and forced it back up and over, creating a bubble that blocked the hole.

Bobby sprinted over and aimed at the water, but hesitated. "Er…Jean, this'll melt eventually!"

"I've got an idea!" Amara called, joining him. "Jean, push the water back further!"

As Jean did just that, Amara fired into the hole, filling it with molten lava. Catching on, Bobby toned down his own beam to just cold air, helping it to harden faster.

A loud crash alerted them and Bobby spun around. "He's out!"

Kurt suddenly flew over the top of the dam and Jean caught him with her mind. Bobby ran back to join Rogue and Evan, but all three were knocked to the ground, when Juggernaut landed next to them.

"What are you trying to do; embarrass me to death?" He roared, as they scattered. "Come on; give me your best shot!"

As his team-mates backed away, Scott strode forwards. "You know, that's just what I had in mind." He shot a beam at their enemy, knocking his helmet into the reservoir below.

He may as well have used a fly-swatter. "You think that fancy visor is going to stop me?" Juggernaut demanded. "Nothing stops me! I'm raw power!"

"You want it raw, tough guy?" Scott asked, reaching for his visor; Jean, anticipating his movements, pulled the others back and nodded for Kitty and Rogue to be ready. "Then take it raw!" He pulled his visor off and hit Juggernaut with the full force of his optic beams, knocking him off his feet.

For a second, it seemed to have worked, but the Juggernaut got up and fought through the beam, reaching out a hand and grabbing Scott's head, blocking the beam. As he drew his other hand back to smash Scott's head, Amara created a ball of flame and tossed it over his head.

"What the hell?!" Bobby demanded. "What's that going to do?"

"Watch." Amara told him simply.

John caught the fire and made it grow into some sort of pterodactyl, which swooped down on Juggernaut just enough to put him off, but not so much that he ducked, which could potentially break Scott's neck. Remy charged a couple of cards and aimed them at the air around the two, so they provided a constant distraction.

Juggernaut's shock didn't last long. "You can't stop the unstoppable!"

At that moment, Kitty phased Rogue out of the dam and boosted her up, so Rogue could hoist herself onto Juggernaut's shoulders and grasp his bare face. "Party's over!" Finally she drained him enough that he let go of Scott; Kurt teleported him to safety and both Rogue and the Juggernaut collapsed.

The X-Men held their breath, waiting, but Juggernaut rose first, heading straight for Rogue. As her team-mates moved forwards, his fist swung down, only to be stopped half-way.

His invulnerability flowing through her, Rogue used his fist to pull herself to her feet, batting it away as easily as a fly.

The two fought, head-to-head, each equal to the other. A few more of Remy's explosions gave Rogue the advantage she needed and she threw him from the dam; Bobby encased him in ice and he fell down, down, down into the reservoir below.

"Thank God." Jean whispered, helping Scott to his feet as he came to. She handed him his visor and made sure it was firmly in place, before running an eye over the rest of her team for any injuries. "Everyone okay?"

There were various murmurs of ascent; only Rogue was quiet, but Jean knew from experience that she was sorting through the thoughts and memories she'd just absorbed.

Satisfied, Jean levitated them all down to the base of the dam, where the crowd had gathered to watch the fight in stunned silence. "Is anyone hurt down here?"

There was a short silence, then a curt voice replied in the negative.

Jean sighed. It looked like public opinion hadn't changed. "X-Men, back the _Velocity _please. Quickly."

"Wait!" A voice cried.

There was a slight scuffle and a small girl emerged from the crowd. A woman appeared after her, grasping her hand. "Eleanor, no!"

"But Mummy!" 'Eleanor' pulled her hand free and trotted up to Jean.

Despite the woman's obvious worry for her daughter, she didn't move closer and watched, frozen on the brink of the no-man's land between the two groups.

"How come you can fly?" Eleanor asked curiously.

Jean glanced at the others for help. When none came, she crouched to the little girl's level, trying to figure out how to word it. "Well, I'm what they call 'mutant' and have telekinesis, which means I can use my mind to move things."

Eleanor looked over her shoulder at the crowd of people. "Why is everyone scared of you?"

"Because most people can't move things with their mind." Jean answered. "They can't understand why I can do things like that; it's not … it's not normal and they think I must be a bad person because of that."

Eleanor frowned as though trying to work something out. "But Mummy said that the other man was going to destroy our home and make us move. And that's bad. But you stopped him, so you can't be bad."

"Well, I don't think I'm bad." Jean told her. "I'm just sixteen. I just want to fit in."

"We all do." Kitty added, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "And we all did, until people realised what we could do. And everyone we thought were our friends turned against us." She seemed to have said the last part to herself.

Eleanor seemed to consider this for a few minutes, before hugging Kitty around the waist. "I'll be your friend if you want."

Kitty started, then smiled and patted the girl's head. "Thank you, sweetie, but I think your mommy's worried."

Eleanor released her and walked sedately back to her mother, who scooped her into her arms, murmuring to her.

Jean straightened up and watched the scene sadly. Had it really reached the point where mothers were reluctant to let their children even talk to them?

"Why _can_ you do things like that?" Another female voice asked.

Jean turned to see the reporter Kurt had left the pilots with; she was standing in front of a camera-man with a microphone held out, clearly waiting for an answer. "Well, we're still not entirely sure; I'm not a biochemist." She took a few minutes to organise her thoughts. "As far as we're aware, most babies are formed with 46 chromosomes, 22 pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. However, sometimes, there is a spare mutant gene, which usually leads to things like autism. In some people, it can lead to extra limbs. In us, it led to these mutant powers. We think about 90% of the world's population is born with this X-gene, but only actually activates in a small percentage."

"You said earlier that you 'don't think' you're bad people." She pressed. "What would you say to people who say that you must be because you have these powers?"

Jean hesitated. "I…I've never been in that situation."

"I'd ask them how they'd react if they were given a gun." Kitty answered.

The woman frowned. "I don't follow."

Kitty smiled at her. "Well, if someone gave you a gun right now, would you turn around and begin a murder spree?"

"Of course not!" She responded immediately.

"Why not?" Kitty asked calmly. "You could if you wanted to."

"That doesn't mean anything." She argued. "Opportunity is only a small percentage of what creates a criminal; it's all psychological."

"And why are we being persecuted again?" Kitty asked innocently. "Those Sentinels? Does anyone here actually think we'd be stupid enough to create a giant robot that was programmed to attack our own DNA?"

No one responded.

"No." Kitty answered her own question. "We're not being persecuted because we _have_ done anything; we're being persecuted because we could have if we wanted to. And I'm sorry if I sound a little emotional, but I am fifteen-years-old; four days ago, gigantic robots tried to kill me, my home was blown up and I had an army of police officers aiming loaded guns at me head. Today, we haven't eaten for several days; I'm hungry and I'm tired and I can't run anymore."

Jean wrapped her arms around the younger girl, feeling her dissolve into tears, choking back her own sobs. "It's alright, honey."

Before anyone else could comment, the reporter put a hand to her earpiece. "Hang on. I've just received an update. Apparently, a Mr. Trask has been arrested for the creation of those robots…the search is being called off as we speak…all captured mutants will be re-examined and then released…and the President is due to make an announcement this evening."

Again, there was a moment's silence, then the crowd dispersed amid muttering and the occasional outraged outburst.

"This has been Samantha Forest reporting live from the Bayville dam." She wrapped up her report and made sure the camera was off. "Well, I for one am glad it's all over and done with. We'd best be off, Paul; come on."

"Thank you, Miss Forest." Amara called after her.

She turned again. "Whatever for?"

"Letting us have our say." Amara responded with a smile. "You're the first person who's done that all week."

* * *

"Well, that went well." Bobby commented as the _Velocity _took off.

"Better than I thought it would." Scott agreed.

As if by unspoken agreement, the two had settled in the pilots' seats, taking control of the navigation. Jean, the usual co-pilot, was sat with Kitty and Rogue, who was still a little dazed. Remy was sat on her other side, looking concerned.

Kurt and Evan, more relaxed than they had been in several days, had found a pack of cards and were sat at the back of the jet playing a game.

"How are you feeling, Rogue?" Amara asked quietly, not moving her head from John's shoulder.

"I've got a splitting headache." Rogue told her after a few minutes, rubbing her temple. "But I…I know where the Professor is!"

"Where?" Several voices demanded.

"Where Juggernaut should be." Rogue answered.

"Of course!" Jean groaned, slumping back in her seat. "It's so obvious!"

"Iceman, there's information on the holding facility in that compartment." Scott told him. "Find the coordinates and input them to the computer."

"Yes sir."

"And what's that noise?" Scott asked, changing direction.

"My cell-phone." Jean answered, pulling it out and glancing at the screen. "I don't recognise the number; must be one of the parents. Hello? Oh, hello, Mrs. Sinclair."

At this, Bobby twisted round to listen, temporarily distracted; everyone knew that Rahne had had very little contact with her parents since she moved to America.

"As far as I know, Rahne's fine…"

"Iceman." Scott prompted quietly.

"Well, no, I haven't…it's a matter of distance, ma'am…"

Bobby found the information he wanted and typed it in.

"Well, I can try again now, if you…Very well…" Jean got up and joined the boys up front, handing her phone to Bobby. "Talk to her."

Bobby nodded. "Hello, ma'am; this is Bobby Drake, I'm the…" He hesitated.

"Leader of the New Mutants." Scott filled in, saying it aloud for the first time. "New name."

Before their eyes, Bobby's demeanour seemed to change and become more confident. "I'm the leader of the New Mutants. Yes, ma'am, that's right. Got them out of there myself. You're welcome."

"Got them." Jean announced.

"Oh, here's Jean back." Bobby handed her the phone.

"I've found them." Jean told her. "They're on their way back to the Institute, everyone's fine and we'll meet them there as soon as…Pardon? Oh." Her face fell. "Yes, ma'am, I understand…No, Professor Xavier's not available at the moment. I can get him to give you a call once…Of course…Okay, ma'am…Yes, I'll tell her…Goodbye." She hung up and slipped her phone away with a sigh. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised."

"What happened?" Kitty asked, feeling her stomach drop.

Jean rejoined the brunt of the team and sat down. "That was Rahne's mother." She told them unnecessarily. "She's pulling her home."

Amara started from her dozy state. "What?"

"What?" Bobby repeated, standing up. "But…but she can't!"

"Unfortunately, she can." Jean sighed. "She's underage and I can see their point; we promised to keep you all safe from the prejudice you could be faced with and we failed."

"But it's not the Institute's fault!" Bobby protested, coming back to join them. "It's Magneto's fault, if it's anyone's!"

"That doesn't matter. I just hope that none of the other parents think like that." Jean commented grimly.

"Mine won't." Kurt told her.

"Mine either." Evan added.

"Don't have any." Rogue put in.

All eyes turned expectantly to Kitty.

She bit her lip. "I doubt it. They've been making noises since December; if they haven't yet, they're not going to."

"Mine don't even know I'm at a mutant school." Bobby admitted. "As far as they know, I'm at a prep school."

Evan snorted. "They actually believe that?"

Kitty scowled at him. "Well, I suppose a lot of school have their own campuses… dorms… kitchens…"

"Jets?" Evan cut her off. (1)

"It's not you lot I'm worried about." Jean sighed. "It's the others."

"But they can't!" Bobby protested again.

"They can." Scott corrected darkly.

Bobby frowned at him. "It's alright for you; when all's said and done, you'll still have your team."

"I'm not going anywhere." Amara told him softly.

"Yeah, but what if the other parents all think like that?" Bobby asked her. "What if they all go? What if Jubes leaves?" His face turned as white as paper as the thought sunk in and he sunk into a seat next to Kitty. "Oh, God, what if she goes?!"

Without glancing back, Scott reached into the same compartment and pulled out a paper bag, handing it back to Jean, who passed it to Kitty.

"Here, breathe into this." Kitty told Bobby, pressing it into his hands. "Deep, calming breaths; it'll be alright."

Slowly, Bobby's breathing evened out and he lowered the bag, leaning into Kitty's side as he did so. "I don't think I can do this without her, Kitty. She's my soul-mate; I'm sure of it."

Jean's phone rang again, cutting through the dismal atmosphere in the jet, but this time no one paid any attention when she answered it.

Kitty's own phone rang seconds later and she answered it automatically, her arm still wrapped tightly around Bobby's shoulders. "Talk to me."

"_Katherine, what's going on?!"  
_

Kitty winced. "Mom, everything's fine…"

"_I've just seen you on TV…"_

"Yes, Mom, I know." Kitty sighed. "Okay, really, I'm fine; it's just been a long four days."

"_Couldn't you have done something with your hair, dear? I think most of America saw that broadcast."_

Kitty gaped at the phone in her hand for a few seconds. "Sorry, Mom; I wasn't thinking. Are you…?"

"_I thought you said Lance was in Bayville; why wasn't he with the X-Men?"_

"He's not in the X-Men, Mom; he's in the Brotherhood." Kitty answered hesitantly. "It's a long story; I'll tell you at Thanksgiving…"

"_Ah, that's the other thing, dear." _Her mother hesitated. _"We're a little worried about our safety if you come back; would you mind terribly if you stayed there over Thanksgiving?"_

"Of course not, Mom." Kitty told her quietly, feeling a little hurt. _Worried about their safety. Not mine._ "I'll talk to you later then. I love you."

"_You too, dear." _A dialling tone signalled that her mother had hung up.

"Well, I'm not getting pulled home." Kitty announced, turning her phone off. "On the downside, I think my parents are about ready to disown me because everyone knows I'm mutant."

"I'm sorry, sugar." Rogue smiled sympathetically at her.

Jean cleared her throat as she hung up again. "Guys, that was Jubilee's father…"

"Oh no!" Bobby groaned.

Kitty's arm tightened around him again. "Are they…?"

Jean nodded with another sigh. "Yes, she's leaving."

Feeling Bobby move to bury his face in her shoulder, Kitty twisted to hug him properly, rubbing his back comfortingly. "It's alright, Bobby; it'll be alright."

"No, it won't." He murmured into her uniform. "I love her, Kitty."

**

* * *

**

AN: (1) Okay, ripped straight from X2, but I couldn't resist it.

**As for Jean's explanation, from what I remember of my GCSE Biology lessons, the extra gene causing autism is true; if it's not, please tell me and I'll correct it. Again, I'm getting loads of hits and hardly any reviews; it'll take two seconds of your time; that's all!**


	14. Love

**Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution doesn't belong to me.**

**One of the main reasons I decided to re-write 'All's Fair' was that I realised that I was losing the characters in the plot and this chapter was the biggest problem I had, so here's hoping I did it justice…**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen – Love

**September 1996**

By a week later, the X-Men had reunited and were living in the lower levels of the mansion while the house was being rebuilt. Amazingly, against the odds, the original six had been allowed back to BHS for a day, to help the school-board make a long-term decision.

Left behind, the New Mutants began the slow and upsetting process of bidding goodbye to two of their own.

That afternoon, Bobby was at the far edge of the grounds, straddling the fence that guarded the cliff-edge, his back braced against a tree, one foot dangling down on the wrong side of the fence, the other resting on the top bar, and his eyes wet with unshed tears.

He knew he was being cowardly about the whole thing; he had handled Rahne leaving early morning with easy restraint. But, the second Jubilee's parents had pulled up at the gate at mid-day, he had slipped through the back door and to his current resting place, where he had stayed for the last few hours.

It wasn't fair that she was leaving.

"Bobby?"

It wasn't fair that she knew him too well.

"Hey Jubes." He didn't turn to look at her, not wanting her to see the tears in his eyes.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." She told him, her footsteps drawing closer. "I can't leave without saying goodbye."

"I know." Bobby responded quietly. "That's why I'm hiding."

"Bobby, I don't want this to happen anymore than you do. But the least you could do is look at me."

Bobby sighed, jumping down from the fence, finally lifting his gaze to meet hers. She had already lost the battle with tears and they streamed down her face like a waterfall.

He hated it when she cried.

"Jubes…" Bobby sighed, feeling even worse, something he'd thought impossible.

Throwing caution to the wind, he walked forward and pulled her into his arms, feeling her dissolve into forceful sobs that shook her whole body.

They stood like that for a few minutes, before Jubilee pulled away. "I've got to go."

"Jubes, wait." Bobby caught her arm as she began to walk away. "I…" He hesitated. Telling her now would only cause pain for both of them. "I'm gonna miss you."

She gave him a watery smile. "I'll miss you too, Bobby. Email me?"

"Every day." Bobby promised.

The two walked back to the house in silence, where she hugged him once more, pressing a soft kiss against his cheek, before getting in the car with her parents.

As his team-mates headed back inside, many squeezing his shoulder or slapping his back in silent support, Bobby stayed where he was, watching the car travel down the driveway. Even after it had disappeared, he stayed there, his mind numb with shocked pain.

Then the X-Van roared through the gates and came to a halt outside where the entrance hall would one day be.

Bobby straightened up, his interest caught; those who had ventured to school that day had stayed behind afterwards to watch the board meeting.

Almost before the van had stopped moving, Kitty phased through the door and dashed inside, apparently on the verge of tears.

The door slid open and Rogue sprinted after her, carrying both bags. As Evan and Kurt climbed out as well, the other doors opened and Scott and Jean got out, in the middle of a blazing argument.

"…not what it looked like…"

"…not surprised…"

Bobby raised an eyebrow. "Something tells me this has nothing to do with the hearing."

"Not exactly." Evan sighed, heading inside. "I need food!"

Bobby turned to Kurt. "You wanna explain?"

"For some reason, the Brotherhood thought the hearing would be a good time to cause some trouble." Kurt answered.

Bobby glanced back after Kitty. "Is that why…?"

"Well, we got out of the hall and realised what was going on…" Kurt shook his head. "Kitty just gaped at Alvers for a few minutes, then stormed over and said, "The others were right, weren't they? You're nothing but a hood!""

Bobby winced. "Ouch! Hell hath no fury!"

"Yeah." Kurt nodded. "Thing is, I don't think that's what she meant to say, because she looked really shocked. And then he said, "That's right; I'm just never gonna be good enough for you, am I?""

"Uh oh." Bobby pointed to Scott and Jean, who were still shouting at each other. "And that?"

"Now that, I can't explain." Kurt admitted. "About halfway home, Scott said something about Avalanche causing more trouble and Jean just went off at him, saying there must have been a good reason and…"

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, JEAN, HE IS…"

"SCOTT SUMMERS, DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT FINISHING THAT SENTENCE!"

Bobby winced again as the shouting escalated. "I'm…er…I'm gonna…er…I'm gonna go and tell Amara what just happened; she'll want to know."

"Oh, fine!" Kurt rolled his eyes. "Leave me here to stop them killing each other!"

"I've never seen Jean this angry with him." Bobby muttered, more to himself than to his team-mate.

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU CARE WHAT I SAY ABOUT HIM?!"

"BECAUSE HE'S MY BROTHER; THAT'S WHY!"

Immediately, silence fell and Bobby froze mid-step, the three boys staring at the redhead in shock and disbelief.

"Pardon?" Scott asked after a few minutes.

Jean took a deep breath. "Yes. Lance and I are twins. That's why care."

* * *

In their temporary room, Kitty was lying face down on her bed, her face buried in Rogue's lap and her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs. Outside, she heard raised voices and the sounds of Kurt teleporting, but thought nothing of it. Her own voice echoed around her head, mocking her.

_You're nothing but a hood … but a hood … but a hood …_

Rogue stroked her hair soothingly, waiting for her immediate distress to subside. Finally her tears dried and the shaking stilled slightly, interrupted only by the odd hiccup; she helped her room-mate sit up and handed her a tissue. "Here, sugar. Was it what he said or what he did?"

"Neither." Kitty admitted, wiping her face. "What I said. I don't know why I even said that!"

"Well, you were mad at him." Rogue offered.

Kitty shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean. I toned down the first thing that came into my head; I didn't want an argument today. Somehow, the words 'what the hell's going on' got lost on the way to my mouth." She sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Even if I had said what first came into my head, I'd never have stooped that low."

"Why not?" Scott asked from the open door. "He deserved everything you said, Kitty."

"No!" Kitty disagreed heatedly. "There had to have been a good reason. We were best friends back in Northbrook; I know him better than that."

"You were what?!" Scott demanded. "Why didn't you tell us?! He was your best friend; he's Jean's twin brother; Amara's been dating Pyro for six months…Is everyone round here keeping secrets?!"

"Jean finally told you, huh?" Kitty asked knowingly. "And I'd say it's closer to eight months."

"You knew?!" Scott groaned. "Why didn't she tell me?!"

"Maybe she thought you'd overreact?" Rogue suggested, despite her own shock "Boy, was she wrong!"

"Alright." Scott conceded, beginning to pace. "Where do you think Kurt teleported her to?"

"Either the Boarding House or Philadelphia." Kitty answered. "My money's on the latter."

"I took her home." Kurt answered from the doorway. "Then went and picked up Alvers and Tabitha."

"Tabitha?" Rogue questioned.

"She's the only other person that knew." Kitty told her.

Scott dropped onto the other bed and took his head in his hands. "What have I done?"

* * *

"Lance, you know as well as I do that a) Kitty didn't mean a word of that," Jean snapped, "and b) you deserved it."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that kind of contradictive?"

The two were in the living room of their mother's house. Sara, as it turned out, was spending a few days at Eric's new college, so the three of them were alone; Tabitha had offered to sort them all something to eat while the twins had a chat.

"What were you thinking anyway?" Jean demanded.

"I was thinking that I can't be a constant bodyguard." Lance answered instantly. "I was thinking that your lovely ex was planning on beating us up if we didn't help him. I was thinking that I can protect myself, but Todd can't. I was thinking I've never let them get hurt before and I'm damn well not going to start now."

Jean frowned. "What was that supposed to mean?"

Lance stiffened. "Nothing."

Jean narrowed her eyes. "No, you meant something by it. That's why you didn't want a medical when you joined the X-Men."

"No!" Lance protested. "No, you're going the wrong way with this."

Jean ignored him. "Shirt. Off. Now."

"But…"

"Now." Jean repeated. "Or I'll do it for you."

Slowly, reluctantly, Lance grasped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head, leaving Jean speechless with shock. His chest was covered in scars, including several long gashes that spread down his back.

"Good God…" Jean whispered. "Don't move." She reached a hand out and caught the medical kit she'd summoned telekinetically, pulling out an antiseptic serum. "Have you had these treated at all?"

"No." Lance winced as she ran a wet cloth over the worse of the wounds. "Didn't want to cause any trouble."

"There's a surprise." Jean snorted. "What caused them?"

Lance sighed. "Some of them were caused by the office caving in back in Northbrook. Some … well, Mystique's hell to live with sometimes. I'm stronger than the other guys … emotionally, that is. When they pissed her off, I used to … I used to get in the way."

"And the others?" Jean pressed.

"Sabretooth." Lance answered grimly. "After Mystique told Blue-Boy that she was his mother, Magneto took over. His plans were a lot more sadistic than hers; I refused to have any part of it. After a few days, they realised that Kitty was the problem. You have…" He faltered. "You have no idea how much danger she was in for a while. I managed to stop everything and Sabretooth gave me hell. He kept count."

Jean ran her hand down his back. Now she could see the angles of the gashes. "Seven times? In the space of a couple of months? Even Wolverine would have trouble dealing with that."

"I couldn't let her get hurt." Lance muttered.

"Well, I can't do anything else for these now." Jean sighed, putting the serum away. "I wish you'd told me."

"And said what?" Lance shot back.

"I don't know." Jean glanced up as the doorbell rang. "Who could that be? Here." She tossed Lance his shirt back and headed out into the hall, seeing Tabby appear in the kitchen doorway as well.

"I didn't hear a car." Tabby told her. "It must be Kurt back."

"I hope so." Jean murmured, approaching the door warily. She opened it to find Scott, Kitty and Kurt. "Hello?"

"Jean, I need to talk to you."

"I need to talk to Lance."

"And I was kidnapped."

Jean smiled at Kurt. "Don't worry. Could you give us a minute?"

"Don't worry, Red." Tabby latched onto Kurt's arm. "I'll give him the tour."

Jean turned her gaze to Kitty as the two headed off. "Don't you think you've done enough?"

"Please, Jean, I need to talk to him." Kitty whispered.

Reluctantly, Jean sighed and waved a hand behind her. "Living room."

"Thanks." Kitty slipped past her and hurried down the hall.

Jean raised an eyebrow at Scott. "Yes?"

* * *

Kitty shut the door quietly behind her and turned to look directly into Lance's eyes. "Lance, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened today; I would never have said something like that. I would never have stooped that low; I'm so…"

"Kitty." Lance cut her off. "It's okay. I know why you said it. If you want my opinion, I think you've spent too long pretending to be someone you're not."

Kitty gaped at him. "I do not pretend to be someone I'm not!"

"Yeah, you do, Kitty." Lance disagreed. "Look at what happened a couple of months ago; Pietro and Tabby painted Kelly's car bright pink. Back in Northbrook, you'd have found that as funny as we did. Now, nothing."

Kitty knew he had a valid point. "Sometimes it makes my life easier to just go along with what they want me to be."

"Like you did with your parents, you mean?" Lance scowled. "Kitty, I'm not going to stand back and watch you go through that again!"

"Then don't!" Kitty shot back. "I'm not asking you to!"

Lance shook his head. "I swear, Kitty, it's like I've lost you; I don't you who you are anymore."

"You don't know who I am?!" Kitty repeated. "What about you? I used to be able to read you like a book; I don't know what the hell's going on now!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Lance asked.

Spinning away from him, Kitty paced the length of the room, running an exasperated hand through her hair. "What's that … I can't believe you just asked me that! January, you tell me you want us to be more than friends; Monday, you act like it never happened. April, we come here for spring break; there were two weeks of just…just us; we get back to Bayville, it may as well have not happened. May, we go to the dance, you kiss me and the next day, once again, it was like it hadn't happened!"

She knew her voice had risen and could only hope that the distance between the living room and the front door deadened most of the sound; the last thing she wanted was for them to be interrupted. "I am tired of playing this game, Lance; what the hell do you want?!"

Lance didn't hesitate. "You! Kitty, you're all I've ever wanted!"

Kitty leaned against the wall, closing her eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted, the events of the day catching up with her. "Then why is this so complicated?"

"Because you may not have meant what you said today, but I meant what I did." Lance answered. "I'm not good enough for you!"

Suddenly filled with energy she hadn't known she had, Kitty pushed herself away from the wall and glared at him. "That, Lance, is bull and you know it. There is only one person in this room who can make that decision and it is not you; it is me!" As she spoke, she stalked towards him, forcing him to back up rapidly. "And you…" She suddenly caught sight of the slight smirk on his face and narrowed her eyes. "You don't really think that, do you?"

"Oh, I do." Lance assured her. "But that wasn't the reason."

"Then why did you say it was?!" Kitty demanded, completely exasperated.

In a second, the dynamics between them shifted. As his smirk grew, she subconsciously took a step backwards, fully aware of his eyes raking over her.

"For the same reason I still insist on calling you Pretty Kitty sometimes." Lance answered, slowly moving towards her as she continued to back up.

Despite her sudden wariness, Kitty's eyes flashed with irritation. "And why would that be?" Her back hit the wall and she swallowed hard as he kept moving forwards.

Lance stopped directly in front of her and braced his hands on the wall, his arms trapping her there. "Because it's the one of only times I see the girl I knew in Northbrook." He leaned in and lowered his voice, charging the situation even more. "That and you're so sexy when you're mad at me."

"Don't change the subject!" Kitty protested weakly, a blush heating her face. "You haven't given me an answer!"

"Alright." Lance conceded, not moving. "What was the question?"

"Why are we so complicated?" Kitty asked with an air of exhaustion. "And what the hell are 'we' anyway? Just give me a straight answer."

"I don't know what we are." Lance admitted. "And that's why we're so complicated." He fell silent, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes, his hand trailing down her cheek to cup her face.

Kitty closed her eyes and turned her face towards him. _I love you so much, Lance; why can't I just tell you?_

"I didn't fall in love with Shadowcat." Lance murmured. "I fell in love with _you_."

Kitty's eyes flew open and she lifted her head to look at him. "So why did you say we should just stay friends?"

"I figured it would make life easier." Lance answered, a hint of irony in his voice.

"I…" Kitty rolled her eyes, reminded of her own words minutes earlier. "Oh, very funny. Look, we're still playing this game, Lance, and I'm sick of it. I feel like I'm in the middle of a freakin' chess set!" She caught his gaze. "I love you, Lance; I want more than this." She leaned back against the wall, feeling the need for some space between them in this loaded situation. "Your play."

Lance smirked at her. "You know, we're probably the only couple in existence who could have a conversation this blunt about this topic." Sobering abruptly, he pressed a kiss against her forehead with a sigh. "Kitty, I love you. You know that. But everyone else…"

"Look, they can all go to hell for all I care!" Kitty snapped, finally reaching the end of her restraint. "They have _nothing _to do with this and if they don't like it then…"

At that point, she was interrupted – something she didn't like when she was mad or upset – but this time she wasn't complaining.

Lance's mouth had landed on hers, cutting off any more protests.

This was nothing like the last time he had kissed her; that had been slow and tentative. It had left her slightly shaken and a little awestruck.

This was demanding and passionate, making her skin spark with some kind of electricity wherever his hands brushed past her. The hand that had been cupping her face slid into her hair, pulling the tie away, letting her curls tumble over her shoulders. His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her away from the wall and against him.

Sliding her own arms around his neck, Kitty vaguely noticed how much taller he was and wondered why she'd never noticed before, but then all coherent thought was wiped away, leaving her in a blissful oblivion.

Of course, oxygen can only be denied for so long and they were soon forced apart, both breathing heavily, their eyes still locked.

Lance smiled at her, resting his forehead against hers. "Checkmate?"

Kitty nodded, a smile drifting over her own face. "Checkmate."

"Sorry about that." Lance murmured, the grin on his face contradicting him. "But I did warn you. You're irresistible when you're angry." His lips brushed against hers in a tender gesture that contrasting against their previous embrace as extremely as night does to day.

Kitty was too comfortable with him to blush and settled for leaning against him, returning the kiss with slightly more urgency. But still a quiet voice niggled at the back of her mind. "This is it, right? No more complicating everything?"

"No more." Lance agreed quietly. "I promise, Kitten; I'm not letting you go again. No more focusing on what they think?"

He had brought this up earlier, but her defences had been raised. Now she saw the concern and fear in his eyes; he had been at her side through her recovery from what she knew was a serious illness back in Northbrook, caused by the stress of keeping her parents happy, and he had seen the toll it had taken on her.

"I've been scaring you, haven't I?" Kitty whispered. She tightened her hold, pulling herself onto her tiptoes, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I promise, Lance; I won't let that happen again."

"Good." Lance murmured, absently stroking the skin of her lower back as her shirt rode up slightly. "And I wasn't _scared_, I was _concerned_; there's a difference."

"Oh, I see." Kitty smirked. "Of course. So how do we handle this now?"

"Well…" Lance tightened his own embrace, bringing her even closer. His mouth brushed against the sensitive skin below her ear, making her shudder. "The _sensible_ thing to do would be to forget we ever had this conversation and let everything go back to normal."

Any other girl, any other couple, and that would be seen as a rejection. But it was her and it was him and she knew him well enough to know what was happening.

"Oh, yes." Kitty agreed. "And they'd all want us to consider that. Although…"

"I always loved your 'althoughs'." Lance murmured.

Kitty smirked. "No one ever accused us of doing the sensible thing. I think we should go with my original plan." She gasped suddenly as he began nipping and sucking where his mouth rested. "No point in breaking the … the habit of a … a lifetime."

"Tell them all to go to hell it is then." Lance summarised with a smirk of his own that she could feel against her skin. "I'm glad I've got my Kitten back."

"Yours?" Kitty repeated, letting a hint of mocking creep into her voice as she pulled back slightly.

"Mine." Lance confirmed, tightening his hold. His mouth moved down to the soft skin of her neck, kissing and suckling there. When he got no response after a few minutes, he lifted his head. "Aren't you?"

"Only yours." Kitty answered with a smile that faded into a soft moan as his mouth returned to her neck, doing something curiously interesting to her skin. "I always have been."

Once more, Lance tightened his arm around her waist, now practically lifting her off her feet, pressing her more firmly against the wall. "How much time do you think we've got until Jeannie checks on us?"

"As much time as Tabby can buy us." Kitty answered shakily, biting back another moan. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Lance answered with an innocence that didn't fool her for a second, before transferring his mouth back to hers, kissing her deeply.

And this was how Tabitha found them when she came to tell them that dinner was ready. Allowing herself time to wipe the smirk off her face – which took a good few minutes when she realised the amount of blackmail material she'd just collected – she tapped on the door again, in the hope that this time they'd hear her.

When that didn't work, she cleared her throat loudly. "Guys?"

This broke them up, if not apart; Kitty stayed in Lance's arms, although both turned to look at her.

"Dinner's ready." Tabby told them, pretending she hadn't just found them like that. "Scotty and Kurt took off; Jean talked them into leaving Kitty here.

"Thanks." Following Tabby's example, Kitty didn't address what she'd just seen and reluctantly disentangled herself from Lance's arms. As she caught his eye, he smirked and she gave him a questioning look.

Hastily wiping the smirk from his face, Lance shrugged, running his hand down her arm and taking hers. "You hungry?"

"Actually, I am." Kitty realised.

As they reached the door, Tabby stopped them. "Uh, Kitty? You got a second?"

"Sure. You go on." Kitty phased her hand through Lance's and hung back as he followed her suggestion and headed towards the kitchen. "What's up?"

"You've got a…" With a smirk the size of Canada, Tabby trailed off and gestured to her neck.

Her hand flying to the spot the blonde had indicated, Kitty hurried to the mirror to see a dark mark marring her pale skin. "Oh, he is _so_ dead!"

Ignoring Tabby's sniggers, she slipped past her and stalked towards the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to catch the tail-end of the twins' conversation.

"…forgive him then?"

Jean sighed. "Yeah, I have. I mean, I'm mad at him. So mad at him. But I can't stay mad forever. And I did drop it on him. And I love him. I know that now."

Lance pulled a face. "And I suppose you two are going to start dating now?"

Jean blushed. "I don't know. Maybe. Would…?" She hesitated, as though steeling herself for what she was about to say. "Would you have a problem if we did?"

Now it was Lance's turn to sigh. "Honestly? Yes, I would; I hate the guy. But you're my sister and, if you're happy, that's all that matters." He glanced up at Kitty, leaning against the door-frame. "Oh, what did I do?"

In answer, Kitty leant down and kissed him thoroughly.

"Should I leave the room?" Jean asked, a touch of amusement in her voice

"What did I do?" Lance repeated when she pulled away.

"I'm mad at you." Kitty responded, taking the seat next to him.

"That was because you were mad at me?" Lance asked blankly. "I need to make you mad more often."

Kitty laughed. "No, that was for your answer just now."

"She's got a point." Jean agreed, giving him a hug. "Thank you. But I'll leave the rest of it up to her."

Kitty didn't bother with embarrassment. "I'm still mad at you though."

"Mad at me for what?" Lance asked in confusion.

"Er, Kitty?" Jean cleared her throat. "You've got a…"

"I know." Kitty sighed. "And if you've got a good excuse for it, I'd love to hear it."

"Just avoid Scott and Wolverine for a few days." Jean advised. "No one else'll care."

"And stay away from the Boarding House." Tabby added, almost gleefully. "They'll care. And they'll never let you hear the end of it. Or…" She lowered her voice so only Kitty could hear her. "Or make sure his is more noticeable."

Kitty smirked. "There's an idea."

Lance moved back, looking slightly nervous. "Why do I suddenly feel a sense of impending doom?"

Kitty's smirk shifted into an angelically innocent smile. "I have no idea."

**

* * *

**

AN: Okay, I've rewritten this about five times (which is a record for me), so please review and tell me what you think.


	15. Blind Alley

**Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen – Blind Alley

**October 1996**

Even with Rahne and Jubilee gone, the X-Men soon settled back into their old routine; there was a little bit of excitement with the Brotherhood after they were expelled from BHS that Kitty was dragged – reluctantly – into by Rogue, but even that had resolved itself quietly.

Only Bobby remained out of sorts and not just because of his team-mates' departures; apparently, Scott telling him that he was the leader of the New Mutants had had a profound effect. He was still the carefree, happy-go-lucky guy he'd been before when he wasn't in training or alone, but that all changed the second the Danger Room doors closed. He seemed determined to make sure that he didn't lose anymore team-members and it was only Ray who called him on it; Jamie was just glad to be involved and Amara, Sam and Roberto wanted to make sure their parents saw them as safe so the same thing didn't happen to them.

Within a month, the mansion had been rebuilt and the X-Men were beginning to appreciate that losing their home may have been a blessing in disguise; the house Charles Xavier had bought to set up the Institute for Gifted Youngsters hadn't been designed to be a school.

The new mansion was also six storeys, but the lay-out had been changed. The first floor, as well as a living room, rec room, dining room and kitchen, also had several rooms which were set up as classrooms, both to take over from regular school if they had to and to teach the students how their powers worked and came from.

The second floor was made up predominantly of smaller 'dens', each with their own TV and sound-system, as well as a large library, another, smaller kitchen and a large room that had been dubbed 'the party room' by several of the students.

The next three floors were filled with fifty ensuite bedrooms and several spare bathrooms. Most of the students would share a room, the only exceptions being Scott, Jean, Amara and Jamie.

Scott and Jean, being the first students, had never had room-mates and Scott was still paranoid about his sleep-goggles slipping in the night, so it was widely accepted that he would carry on as he had.

When the New Mutants had arrived at the mansion, Amara and Tabitha had roomed together, as had Rahne and Jubilee, but with the other three girls now gone, one to the Brotherhood, the other two home, Amara was left as the solo female in the second team.

Before, Bobby and Sam, and Ray and Roberto had been room-mates, but it was decided that, this time, Bobby would room with Ray and Sam with Roberto, to avoid any more fights breaking out.

Jamie had also never shared a room, mainly due to his powers; any room he was in tended to get very crowded very quickly.

Amazingly, a lot of things had been salvaged from the wreckage; no clothes, but many books and photo albums had been found and cleaned.

Unfortunately, one of the albums remained missing.

As a child, Kitty had begun a faithful tradition of keeping a photo album rather than a diary, something she picked up from her mother. Apart from a few blank albums, the only one she had brought with her to Bayville contained photographs of her and Lance back in Northbrook and provided hours of comfort in the months following his 'death'.

During the explosion, it had vanished into thin air.

Kitty was devastated at first, but logic soon returned and she realised that there were many copies of the photos back at home and they could easily be replaced; she was lucky that was all that had been lost.

On this day, a particularly sunny day in early October, the builders had left, training had been cancelled and the X-Men were preparing to start the finishing touches on their new home.

One of the things that had made their situations easier was the simple fact that the Institute had had two garages, one which held the two X-Van and the SUVs near the gates and one which had joined onto the kitchen, which held the private vehicles.

The first, of course, had escaped the blast altogether. The second, on the outside, had been spared any real damage, but still no one was sure of the condition of the cars and bikes inside.

Unsure of the stability of the ceiling, this part of the mansion had been left alone as a single-storey room and the X-Men were currently gathered in the new courtyard which had been left between the garage and the new kitchen. Previously part of the old kitchen, the area was still tiled, one of the few remains of their old home.

As they huddled around the door to their garage, Evan stumbled. "Whoa!" Catching hold of his aunt's arm for balance, he looked down to see what tripped him. "Hey, Kitty! You remember when Kurt dropped one of your muffins? Well, the hole's still here!"

"Shut up, Spyke!" Kitty snapped. As soon as the retort had left her lips, she refocused on the door, steeling herself to enter the room.

Considering the amount of time she could hold her breath if she phased through something large and the unknown quantity of rubble that could, potentially, fall on her head, it had been decided that they would open the door manually, but that she would enter first just in case.

"Kitty?" Jean prompted quietly. "We need to open the door sooner or later."

"Give the girl some room!" Logan told her sharply. "We could be about to witness a massacre!"

Jean sighed, rolling her eyes, and fell silent, exchanging a knowing glance with Rogue.

Finally, Kitty squared her shoulders and pushed the door open, moving slowly inside. With the narrow doorway, only Logan could see the interior. "She's okay!" He called over his shoulder.

"Oh, thank God!" Scott sighed in relief.

Kitty blinked back tears of relief. "She's okay." She repeated in a whisper, feeling slightly pathetic but not caring at all.

"'She'?" Scott frowned. "I thought he meant Kitty?"

"No." Rogue smirked. "The Comet."

"The what?" Scott asked.

Rogue sighed. "The Comet! You know, Kitty's bike? It's her baby, you know that."

"Sounds a bit messed up." Remy commented from beside her.

With another sigh, Rogue pushed him through the doorway and directed his gaze to the bike in question. "That's the Comet."

"That," Remy whispered fervently, "is the most beautiful bike I've ever laid eyes on."

"Isn't she?" Kitty asked fondly. "So saying, if you even think about doing anything more than looking at her, I'll make you wish you'd never been born."

Gambit was clearly one of the few people who understood her protectiveness of the Comet and nodded at once. "I wouldn't blame you."

"Unbelievable." Jean muttered, rolling her eyes. "Okay, X-Men; listen up!" She pulled out a list. "We have two days to make this place a home again and then we're back at school."

"Yay." Evan intoned dully.

Jean shot him a glare. "As I was saying, I'm playing to your strengths, so pay attention. Dr. McCoy, Bobby and Kitty, the main circuits need to be rebooted; we've got the Danger Room and security up, we just need everything else."

Logan winced. "Half-Pint, stick near Icecube like glue."

"Hey!" Bobby protested. "I'm not incompetent!"

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Area 51."

"Stick near me like glue." Bobby conceded.

Jean stifled a laugh. "John, Amara, the pathway needs finishing. Sam, Roberto, trees need planting. Jamie, the entrance needs painting."

"Want me to work double-time?" Jamie asked, clapping his hands so two clones appeared.

Jean smiled affectionately at him. "That's right. Scott, Logan, something tells me the New Mutants won't live much longer without satellite TV, so…"

"Say no more, Red." Logan cut her off. "We're on it."

"Thank you." Jean glanced around. "Everyone else, interior decorating."

"Oh, joy." Rogue rolled her eyes, ushering the others back inside. "Come on, you lot."

"What are you going to do?" Ororo asked curiously, as Jean slipped the list back in her pocket.

"I'm going to fix the fountain." Jean answered, threading her arm through her mentor's and walking with her through the garage and out into the sunny grounds. "It's a beautiful day for October. Is this your doing?"

Ororo laughed quietly. "No, child; this is all natural."

Seeing Scott and Logan already on the roof, Jean concentrated and levitated the satellite dish lying on the grass up to them, before focusing her attention on the fountain, the newly-repaired angel moving to her command.

Inside, Kitty was leaning against the wall, watching with amusement as Beast tried to jot down the commands that Bobby was typing at lightning speed.

If it weren't for the fact that Bobby was still upset at Jubilee's departure, she would have been irritated at his insistence that he should do the work, since she was perfectly aware that her own computer skills far outweighed his own. But she knew that he felt he needed to stay busy and humoured him, knowing too that, sooner of later, he would give her reason to intervene.

"Wait, wait!" Beast requested. "What was that last command?"

Bobby sighed. "Look, this is a generational thing; it'll take too long to explain the codes. Why don't you go hook up a VCR or something."

Hank raised an eyebrow. "You're a smart kid, Bobby, but this is the electronic brain for the Institute; let's make sure we do it right!"

"I'm just hooking up the lighting system!" Bobby protested. "Not even an idiot could mess this up!"

Rather predictably, the lights extinguished with a soft splutter.

Rolling her eyes, Kitty pushed herself away from the wall. "You know, Iceman, you're making a habit of this."

"Hey, it's an easy fix!" Bobby insisted.

"Here's an idea." Hank handed him the notepad. "We let Kitty fix the systems, you write down _everything_ she does, and I'll supervise."

On the roof, Scott and Logan were busy attaching the satellite dish. Or, to be more precise, Logan was busy attaching the satellite dish; Scott was busy watch Jean, occasionally handing Logan tools.

Finally, Scott cleared his throat. "Logan, I need some advice."

Logan grunted in response.

"Have you ever…?" Scott shifted slightly. "Have you ever cared so much for someone that you couldn't get the words out?"

"Yeah, once." Logan admitted. "Most beautiful bike I ever saw. I was so speechless someone else bought her. Pliers."

Scott handed them over, not taking his eyes off his best friend. "How are you supposed to know if she feels the same way?"

"Well, the way I see it…" Logan trailed off with an exasperated sigh. "_Pliers_, not wire-strippers! Use your eyes, kid!" He tossed them back and got up to look for the tool himself. "Look, I'd like to get this job done before New Year's, so I'll make a deal with you. If you don't tell her, I will."

Down on the ground, Jean was making better progress, but seeing Scott shirtless at any time was a difficult distraction to deal with; today, she could feel his eyes on her and felt herself getting slightly flustered. At one point, the statue she was levitating nearly hit Ororo, but Jean steadied it just in time.

Soon, the angel was back on her plinth, standing proudly once more. Storm's eyes glowed slightly and a small rain-cloud appeared above the fountain, filling the bottom pool in a few seconds. Jean knelt and turned the fountain on, causing the jets to spring up and fill the other two pools as well.

"Looks good, don't you think?" Ororo commented, gazing at the jets.

"Yes." Jean agreed, her eyes on Scott up on the roof; Ororo gave her a knowing look and she blushed. "I mean, very nice."

Ororo smiled at her. "You and Scott have grown very close this year, haven't you?"

Jean felt her face redden even more as she considered her answer. "Well…we've always been close; he's my best friend. But this year…he's always been there." _Almost always, _her mind corrected her; the incident surrounding her brother was still fresh in her mind.

"Like when your powers went crazy." Ororo reminded her. "He helped you through that. He was really worried about you."

"I owe him my life." Jean admitted quietly. "The bond he formed with me that day was so strong…"

"And something tells me it still is." Ororo added when Jean trailed off; the redhead nodded. "I think today's going to be a good day for new beginnings. And for telling people how you feel."

"Maybe." Jean agreed, her eyes travelling back up to the roof. "Maybe."

* * *

That night, just before midnight, a car pulled up in the trees outside the Institute, coming to a stop in the darkness.

"Are you sure you won't get into trouble?" Lance whispered.

Kitty smirked at him. "I didn't break curfew, Lance; I left after it."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Oh, you and your technicalities."

"You love me and my technicalities." Kitty reminded him, pressing her mouth to his.

"True." Lance murmured against her lips, his arms winding around her waist and pulling her closer.

There had never been a seat-belt in the front seat of Lance's car, so Kitty didn't need to use her powers to move across to his lap. She threaded her fingers into his hair, a familiar buzzing running across her skin.

His hands skimmed across the skin at her waist, before stilling on her hips and she groaned in frustration as he pulled away.

Lance smirked at her. "Now, Kitten, if we're not careful, not only are we going to get caught, but everyone's going to realise that you're not the good girl you make out to be."

"Like I care." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Being a good girl's boring anyway." She leaned into recapture his lips, but he stopped her.

"Kitty, we can't." Lance told her. "You've got an early-morning session; you know that. You need to get some sleep or they'll know you were out."

Kitty sighed. "I know. I guess I'd better go."

Lance cupped her face. "I love you, Kitten." He whispered, before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

Kitty smiled against his mouth, reluctantly pulling away. "I love you too, Shakedown."

With one more lingering kiss, Kitty phased out of the jeep and watched him drive away, before letting herself in at the gate; after that, it was just a matter of keeping to the shadows, out of sight of the cameras.

Even when she reached the front door, she didn't drop her guard, phasing through the glass into the entrance hall. Since she and Lance hadn't been planning on doing anything but talking (which they had…most of the time), she hadn't worn anything more than shorts and a t-shirt and now she pulled her hair out of her tie and ruffled it a little, knowing that anyone who did wake up would assume that she'd come down for a glass of water.

As she passed the living room door, however, she heard a soft noise inside and phased her head through the door to see Jean asleep on the couch, still fully-dressed. _That's not like her; I wonder if she was waiting for someone. Better wake her or she'll have one hell of a stiff neck tomorrow morning._

Passing all the way through the door, Kitty jogged over and put a soft hand on Jean's shoulder. "Jean?"

Jean didn't wake, but began moving in her slumber, quiet whimpers escaping her lips, betraying the nightmare she was currently locked in.

"Jean!" Kitty shook her forcefully. "Come on, wake up!"

Jean started awake. "Scott!"

"Er, no, Jean, it's me." Kitty helped her sit up. "You were having a nightmare."

"No." Jean shook her head desperately. "It wasn't a nightmare, Kitty; Scott's in trouble."

"Where is he?" Kitty asked, remembering that he had left the mansion after dinner.

"Alex called." Jean answered shakily. "He was trapped in Mexico after a competition."

"A surfing competition?" Kitty repeated. "In Mexico?"

"You can surf in Mexico." Jean pointed out.

"I didn't say you couldn't." Kitty shrugged. "I just figured that they'd pick somewhere a bit more … obvious for a competition. Like California. Or Hawaii." She shook her head and returned to the subject at hand. "Look, Jean, Scott's probably still waiting for a plane. Or he's stopped over at Alex's place."

"Maybe…" Jean agreed slowly.

Kitty sighed, seeing that she was unconvinced. "What's Alex's cell number?"

Jean recited it automatically and Kitty dialled, knowing that Jean was unlikely to hold a coherent conversation right now.

The phone rang for a few minutes, then, finally, a tired voice that Kitty only vaguely recognised answered. _"Hello?"_

"Um, hi, Alex?"

"_Yeah. Who's this?"_

"It's Kitty Pryde; I'm one of Scott's team-mates. Can I talk to him please?"

"_Er…Scott's not here." _Alex told her, a frown obvious in his voice. _"Why would he be here?"_

"He got a phone call today." Kitty answered. "I don't suppose you've just got back from a surfing comp in Mexico either."

"_Nah." _Alex sniggered._ "They never hold comps in Mexico. Had one in Cali last week though; aced it."_

"Congratulations." Kitty offered. "Okay; I'm sorry for waking you."

"_Don't sweat it; get him to call me when you find him."_

"Will do. Bye." Kitty hung up. "Alex has never been to Mexico and he didn't call Scott today."

"I knew it; I knew it!" Jean fretted, standing up. "I'll bet it was Mystique; it was definitely Alex's voice." She closed her eyes and Kitty stayed quiet, recognising the look of concentration on her face. After a few minutes that seemed to stretch into hours, green eyes flew open. "He's trapped in the Mexican desert; he doesn't have his glasses!"

Kitty's mouth dropped open and she gaped at Jean for a few minutes. "Jean, Mexico is miles away! There's no way you reached him at that distance!"

"It's a bond we have." Jean ran an absent-minded hand through her red hair. "Get your uniform on and prep the Blackbird. I'll wake the others."

* * *

Within an hour, the Blackbird was touching down on the outskirts of Mexico City, the centre of the five-mile radius Cerebro had given them. Since Jean's dream, Scott had moved several miles at least and she could only hope that he had been rescued, checking her cell-phone every few seconds, but so far there was still no contact.

Jean listened to Professor Xavier's instructions with little attention, before the team split up and she jogged down the street, following her instincts.

Because of the late hour, the streets were dark and deserted and every sound seemed magnified tenfold. Pain and fear was rushing around Jean's head, but it wasn't her own; as she walked, the voice got louder and louder, making it harder for her to concentrate. Finally giving in, she cried out in pain, staggering sideways to brace herself against a wall.

Her vision turned red and she saw an alley-way; Mystique falling backwards as though she'd been hit.

Shaking herself out of her mind, Jean grasped her communicator. "Professor, Mystique's with him! They're in an alleyway, in front of some sort of tower. Like a church."

"_There's a museum near you." _Professor Xavier told her. _"Make your way there and we'll join you."_

Feeling the pain in her head increase dramatically, Jean began sprinting towards the museum, paying little attention to her surroundings. She soon found the alleyway she'd seen and began searching, when the pain in her head changed suddenly to some semblance of control. But this didn't change what her eyes were telling her.

The alleyway was abandoned.

Frowning, Jean made her way over to the museum she'd seen in her vision.

It seemed to have been long-abandoned; a layer of dust covered the floor, thick enough to muffle her footsteps. The only furniture she could see was covered with white sheets.

Just as she was about to give up, noises alerted her to someone's presence below her. Then she heard her own voice, floating up through a hold in the floorboards.

"Cerebro led me right to you."

"Right to me?" Scott's voice repeated, sounding sceptical. "Right to this spot."

"Uh huh." The impostor responded. "Relax. I'm here now."

Before Jean could shout a warning, the room lit up with the scarlet light of Scott's beams and his voice cut through the air like a knife. "No. You're not."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jean decided not to risk testing her weight on the floorboards and flew the rest of the way, reaching them just in time to stop Mystique a foot away from Scott's face. "My turn." Focusing her powers, she lifted the older woman into the air and threw her to the ground.

It didn't have much of an effect.

"How sweet." Mystique sneered, climbing to her feet. "Girlfriend to the rescue."

"Got that right, lady!" Jean snapped, lifting her from the ground again. With less effort than it should have taken – possibly due to her anger – she sent Mystique flying into the opposite wall, which crumbled, sending bricks falling on to her head.

Once she was sure the woman was unconscious, Jean flew down to where Scott was leaning against a crate, landing just in time for him to stumble and fall into her arms, his eyes still tightly closed.

"Jean?"

"It's okay." Jean soothed, cradling him to her. "Mystique is gone." A wary glance over her shoulder told her that Mystique had vanished, but she knew the older woman would cut her losses and leave while her dignity was relatively in tact.

"How'd you find me?" Scott muttered.

"It's a bond we have." Jean admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I can't explain it."

"You don't have to." Scott grasped her hand. "I just wish that I could open my eyes…see your face."

Jean smiled and pulled Scott's spare shades from her pocket. "Here." She slotted them onto his face. "Okay. Open your eyes. Is that better?"

Although his eyes were now covered, she knew the second they opened; a soft smile appeared on his face. "It couldn't get any better." He whispered. "Jean, I…"

"You don't need to say anything." Jean murmured, pressing a kiss against his cheek. "I don't think either of us do."

"No, I need to say this, Jean." Scott disagreed softly, pulling back to look in her eyes. "I thought I was going to die earlier in that desert and all I could think was that I never told you … I love you. Every time I acted like a jealous … well, I was. And I'm sorry."

Jean cupped his face. "Me too. I love you."

"You're my best friend, Jean." Scott continued. "I don't want anything to ever come between that."

Closing the distance between them, Jean brushed her lips against his. "Nothing ever could."

**

* * *

**

AN: Okay, I hate writing Jott – they're just too fluff-inducing, to the point that they give me cavities. On saying that, please review; my stats page is telling me that this fic is well-liked, my review count's telling me the opposite. Oh, I'm also aging them by two years each - Jean and Scott etc are now 16 and Kitty is 15.


	16. Unknown Relations

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen – Unknown Relations

**November 1999**

Thanksgiving week arrived with sun that year, once again reminding Kitty of her early theory that Storm affected the weather around holidays.

For the first time in her life, she was spending Thanksgiving somewhere other than Northbrook and, although she had had several months to work around the idea, now the time had actually arrived, she found herself analysing her mother's words over and over again.

"Kitty? Kitty?"

"Here, let me try." A pair of arms slipped around her waist. "Hey beautiful."

Kitty managed a small smile as she tilted her head back to meet Lance's eyes. "Hey. When'd you get here?"

"Couple minutes ago." Her boyfriend responded, kissing her forehead. "What were you thinking about?"

"My parents." Kitty sighed, leaning into him. Though she could no longer see his face, she knew he had grimaced, just by the way his arms tightened protectively around her.

"Forget them." He murmured. "You don't deserve that."

Kitty couldn't help the soft smile that appeared on her face and it only grew when she noticed the agreement in Jean's eyes; once again, the redhead had invited her to spend the holidays with her own family. She turned in Lance's arms and returned his embrace. "Thanks guys."

"You don't need to thank them for telling you the truth." A new voice responded.

Kitty lifted her head to look over Lance's shoulder to see Wanda standing behind him, watching them nervously. "Hey."

Lance kissed her forehead and released her. "Yeah, the others were … actually, I don't wanna know; I'd rather have plausible deniability. So I invited Wanda to spend Thanksgiving with us; Jean, tell her Mom won't mind."

Jean smiled at her. "The more the merrier. Mom's gone to get the turkey, so I'll go and make up another room; Lance, Aunt Judy's on her way, so…"

"Dammit." Lance groaned. "Does she have to be?"

"Lance!" Jean chided. "Be nice to her, for God's sake!"

"I will, I will!" Lance sighed. "She can just be such a kill-joy!"

Jean's response was lost, as she led Wanda out of the room. Kitty waited for Lance to fall into one of the armchairs and sat down with him. "What's wrong with your Aunt Judy?"

"Nothing really." Lance shrugged, wrapping an arm around her waist. "She's Mom's adopted sister; had twins two weeks before Jean and I were born. Their father – my Uncle Eric – took them for a walk when they were about three months old and never came back with them."

Kitty gasped, one hand flying to her mouth. She vaguely remembered him mentioning missing cousins back in Northbrook and though Jean might have said something before, but she hadn't known the full story. "That poor woman! Well, no wonder she's not all fun and games, Lance; I know I wouldn't be! Isn't it awkward if there're two Erics?"

"He was Uncle Damien; it was his middle name." Lance frowned. "You know, I can't remember what the twins' names were."

"Are." Kitty corrected. "Most child abductions by members of the family are resolved with the children still being alive. Traumatised, yes. But alive."

"I know." Lance sighed. "No one knows if he does have them though. She's starting to think he married her under a false name; no one can find him."

The sound of the front door opening came from the hall and a woman's voice sounded desperately. "Sara!"

Kitty got up to let Lance stand. "That her?"

"Yup." Lance put an arm around her shoulders and they headed out to the hallway. "Hey, Aunt Judy. Mom's gone to get the turkey."

Judith Grey was a woman Sara's age, except her hair was a dark brown and her eyes were blue, but currently they were filled with worry. "Oh, Lance, at least you're here. Someone outside needs help!"

Lance released Kitty and went to the door. "What the…? Jean! We need a hand! Or a mind!"

Her attention caught, Kitty hurried to his side to see a body lying in the driveway, apparently having just escaped being run over by Judy's car, which was parked haphazardly next to the door. "Here, I'll give you a hand."

It was apparent when they approached that the body was that of a boy their age who was breathing shallowly and covered in bruises and scrapes.

"Kitty." Lance murmured. "Look at his arm."

Gently, Kitty lifted the boy's right arm and saw what Lance was talking about; a long thin gash running along the length of his upper arm. She looked up to meet his eyes. "Sabretooth."

Lance nodded, his jaw set. "Do you think he was dumped here to make a statement?"

"I don't know." Kitty admitted. "Probably not. Unless you know him?"

Lance frowned. "I don't know, Kitten. There's something about him that's familiar, but right now I can't work out what it is. You got his legs?"

"Yeah." Seizing his ankles, Kitty lifted them, as Lance grasped under his arms and they carried him into the house and into the living room, laying him on the couch.

"Jean!" Lance called again. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know." Judy hovered in the doorway, wringing her hands. "I didn't see any cars or anything and it looked like he'd been dumped there."

"If Sabretooth was involved, Magneto could have dumped him out of one of those spheres; we would've heard a car." Kitty pointed out quietly.

"True." Lance glanced up. "Oh, Aunt Judy, this is Kitty, my girlfriend."

Judy smiled shakily. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same." Kitty checked his other arm. "I think it's broken, Lance."

"Yeah." Lance agreed. "Jean!"

"I'm here." Jean responded, from the doorway. "Hi, Aunt Judy. This is Wanda."

Judy started slightly. "Hello."

"Hi." Wanda tilted her head with a thoughtful frown. "Have we met before?"

"I was just thinking the same thing." Judy admitted, her voice a little shaky. "What's your last name, dear?"

"Maximoff." Wanda answered.

"You don't happen to have a twin brother, by any chance?" Judy had apparently given up on all pretence of calmness and was visibly shaken.

"Yes." Wanda nodded slowly. "Pietro."

Lance and Jean had both stopped what they were doing and were watching the exchange with confused frown.

Kitty just stayed out of it, checking the legs of their visitor for any other broken bones. There weren't any, but she did notice that the muscles in his legs were very toned, suggesting that he was a runner. _Could he…? No, that's silly; why would…? _She brushed his hair out of his eyes, trying to picture his face without the bruises, and gently wiped some of the dried blood away. "Pietro."

"Yeah." Wanda glanced at her. "You know that."

"Not your brother." Kitty shook her head. "I mean, yes, it is your brother, but that's not what I meant. This is him."

"You what?" Lance moved round to her side so he could see his face. "Dammit, she's right. That still doesn't explain how Aunt Judy knows Wanda."

"Oh, Lance, isn't it obvious?" Kitty sighed. "Your married name is Maximoff, isn't it?" She asked.

Judy nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "It is."

"And Wanda and Pietro, as far as I know, are two weeks older than you and Jean." Kitty pointed out. "Wanda, do you know what happened to your mother?"

Wanda took a deep breath, several of the plates on the side shuddering slightly. "Father told us she died in childbirth, but I found out when I was nine that he had taken us from her. That's when…"

"That's when your powers appeared." Kitty finished gently, getting to her feet. "How old were you when he took you?"

"Three months." Judy and Wanda answered in unison, realisation dawning on the latter's face.

"Lance, you're leader of the Brotherhood." Jean stated. "And with Mystique gone, that puts you in charge. Why don't you take Aunt Judy and Wanda next door and explain what's going on? I'll deal with this one."

"What are you gonna do?" Kitty asked warily, hearing the hard note in Jean's voice.

"Nothing, until I've figured out what's going on." Jean answered carefully. "Right, I'm going to read his mind; we need to know what's happened. What I want you to do is hold his legs down; there's a chance it'll wake him up."

"Alright." Kitty put her hands on his ankles and did as she was told, watching Jean place a hand either side of his face and close her eyes in concentration.

After a few minutes, she started, her eyes flying open. "Right, new plan; I'm calling Professor Xavier."

"What's wrong?" Lance asked, appearing from the next room as though her words had pulled him there like a magnet. "What's happened?"

"He's not the only person in his head." Jean stated grimly. "He's possessed."

* * *

That night, Jean couldn't sleep. Finally, she got up and went downstairs for a glass of water, hoping that it would settle her. When she reached the living room, she knew what had kept her up.

Despite Judy's protests, Professor Xavier had advised them to leave Pietro sleeping on the couch, because he'd be less likely to panic when he woke up. He was tossing and turning in his sleep, clearly in the throes a nightmare. For a few seconds, Jean hesitated in the doorway, unsure what to do.

Then he suddenly sat up, wide awake, and she'd moved before she knew it. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Pietro rubbed his eyes. "Wait." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Where am I and what are you doing here?"

Jean reached across and turned the table lamp on. "You're at my mom's house. My aunt found you unconscious this afternoon." She checked her watch. "Yesterday afternoon. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Thanksgiving?" Pietro repeated. "It's August!"

"Actually…" Lance spoke up from the doorway. "It's November."

"But…" Pietro looked from one to the other. "But that's three months! Where the hell have I been?"

"Long story." Jean eyed him critically. "How do you feel? You looked like you went through hell."

"Or several rounds with Sabretooth." Lance added, approaching them. "Although, that's more or less the same thing. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Er, I remember you telling me that you thought Mystique was up to something." Pietro scowled. "What the hell's going on, Lance?"

Lance sighed. "Well…"

"Lance." Jean cut in. "Are you sure…?"

"My team." Lance reminded her.

"Alright." Jean held up her hands. "On your own head, be it." She wandered into the kitchen and got herself a glass of water, hearing the words wash in and over her. Occasionally, Lance's own voice would falter and her heart went out to him; he'd had to deal with a hell of a lot over the last month or so.

As she left the kitchen, she caught sight of the horror on Pietro's face and telekinetically summoned another glass of water from the kitchen, pushing it into his hand. "Lance, you really need to leave it for now. I think that's quite enough to be going on with."

"For once, I agree with you." Pietro took a gulp of water. "Hang on, Lance; what are you doing here if it's her mom's house?"

Jean raised an eyebrow. "You haven't told him?"

"Well, you didn't tell Summers until not that long ago." Lance pointed out. "Jean and I are twins. This is my mom's house too."

"Yeah, I think he got that." Jean rolled her eyes. "Thing is, Pietro, there's a bit more to it than that."

"What do you know about your mom?" Lance asked.

Pietro avoided his eyes. "Lance, you know as well as I do that Mom died when I was a baby."

"I guess Wanda didn't tell you." Lance muttered.

Pietro looked up. "Tell me what?"

"Your mother didn't die, Pietro; your father took you from him." Jean explained, levitating a photograph off the side and over to her. "Is that her?"

"Yeah." Pietro whispered. "That's my mom. Why do you have a photo of my mom?"

Lance put a hand on his shoulder. "Because she's our aunt."

**

* * *

**

AN: Sorry about the delay; I was on a CSI: NY kick. Keep the reviews coming, everyone, and if I don't update before then, have a happy and safe Christmas!


	17. Self Possessed

**Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

**December 1996**

And so, it appeared, Magneto had yet another Acolyte, this time a telepath by the name of Mastermind.

Thankfully, most of the fall-out from the revelation of mutants' existence in August seemed to have disappeared; they still got some hostility, but nowhere near the amount at the beginning.

Only the original six team-members – Scott, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, Rogue and Evan – were still attending Bayville High School; Bobby and the other New Recruits had transferred to the Community College in the centre of town, with the exception of Jamie, whose powers meant that he had always been home-schooled. Remy stayed back with him – being two years older that Scott and Jean meant that he should have graduated already – but usually sat in on his classes, having never attended regular school back in New Orleans; this had the dual-purpose of making Jamie more focused as well, since he was no longer the only one there.

By the middle of December, the team was resettled and as strong as ever; Wolverine had even taken to putting both teams in the same training session to face off against each other.

If they had needed any more indication, both Acolytes were now positive they had made the right decision.

John couldn't remember being happier. He had friends who liked him for him and not his powers and he had the girl he loved by his side every day.

Remy was slightly less happy, but only because the girl he loved didn't know it yet.

And had just knocked him unconscious.

"Remy? Gambit? For the love of God, say something!"

Remy groaned. "_Mon dieu, chérie, tu emballes un poinçon, fais-tu pas?_"

"I'm not Rogue" A female voice responded. Remy opened his eyes to see Kitty looking down at him. "But we need to move fast; Sabretooth and Juggernaut are on the loose and…"

With a bamf, Kurt teleported in. "There's no time to explain. We think Rogue's having a power-surge. Sabretooth and Juggernaut were nowhere near us; it was her."

Remy climbed to his feet. "That explains how she managed to knock me for six just now."

"You've been out for several hours." Kitty told him. "And a touch like that should only have managed a few minutes."

"Come on." Kurt grasped both their arms and teleported them to Bayville, where Ray, Bobby, Logan, Scott and Jean were sheltering from a storm, in the midst of which was Rogue, floating fifty feet above the ground. "Oh, great, the Blackbird!"

"Tell them to stay back." Remy told him. "We can't all attack her at once."

But it was too late. Rogue channelled Magneto's power and the jet flew past her, hitting the tarmac and skidding to a halt. Within minutes, Storm had flown out, but was struck by a bolt of lightning that sent her crashing back to the floor; Jean caught her and set her down.

Logan narrowed his eyes. "You're up, Gumbo, and try to get her down here to talk to her. The rest of us have done more harm than good. Ice up, kid."

Bobby nodded and created a platform under Remy's feet high enough to take him eye-level with Rogue. "Sorry, Rogue." He leapt, his arms wrapping around her waist, refusing to let go. Her control over Storm's powers steadied them until they landed on the ground, several hundred metres away from the others. "Come on, Rogue; we can help you; we can fix it; we can make it through this. You can make it through this. Let us help you."

For a split-second, realisation dawned in her eyes. "Help me…" But the next second it was gone; her eyes glowed red and he dived to the side a split-second before the beam made contact.

"Listen, I haven't known you for very long, but I know this isn't like you. There are other people in your head, Rogue, but you can't let them push you around! The Rogue I know wouldn't let them do that. The girl I love wouldn't let them do that."

The red glow disappeared and Rogue fell to the ground. "I can't! There's just too many of them!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Remy saw Professor X approaching in his wheelchair and knew what he was trying to do. "Come on! You can do this!"

In front of his eyes, Rogue began morphing; first into a boy he'd never met, then Nightcrawler, Quicksilver, Storm, Cyclops, Blob, Mystique, her best friend Risty, Shadowcat, Sabretooth, Avalanche, another kid he'd never met, Magneto, Jean, Toad, Beast, Juggernaut, then back into herself, whereupon she gave one last cry of pain and fell into Remy's eyes.

As he held her close he looked up at the Professor. "She's gonna be alright, right, Professor?"

Professor Xavier looked pained. "I don't know yet. I just don't know."

* * *

"How long has he been in there?" Scott asked of Remy three weeks later.

At his side, Professor Xavier sighed. "He hasn't left her side."

"But she _will_ be alright, won't she?" Scott frowned.

"Yes." Professor Xavier answered. "Of that, I am sure. But recovering from this and, even more, the truth about Risty will take a long time."

"He'll help her." Scott stated. "I wasn't sure about him to start with, but he'll help her."

In the aftermath of Rogue's power-surge, two things had been discovered. First of all, Risty Wilde had been Mystique all along. Second of all, Mystique was apparently Rogue's adopted mother, which shocked everyone, but it only strengthened the camaraderie Kurt felt for his team-mate – who had been the only one to really understand his need to find his real mother – now he knew they were siblings.

Remy, as Professor X had observed, hadn't left the Infirmary and didn't intend to until she woke up. As soon as Cyclops and Xavier had left, he took her hand and squeezed it gently, willing her to respond. "Betrayal's a difficult thing to deal with. I know. I've done it. But you don't have to do it alone; you're luckier than me in that respect."

"I know." The response was so quiet; he thought he'd imagined it for a second. But he definitely didn't imagine the tightening of her hand around his. "I have you."

Remy lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "And you always will."

Rogue smiled softly. "Thanks for talking me down. I heard what you said out there. I love you too."

Tentatively, Remy leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, ready to pull back if the surge had taken her control again, but nothing happened. "_Je t'adore._" He whispered.

Rogue squeezed his hand again. "What did I miss?"

"Not much." Remy shrugged, but a dry laugh from the doorway belied that.

"Not much?" Kitty repeated incredulously. "Boy, you really were in your own little world, weren't you?" She walked over and gave her room-mate a hug. "How do you feel?"

"I've been better." Rogue admitted. "So what happened?"

"Well, Evan had a power-surge as well." Kitty began.

"Something's in the water." Rogue commented. "He okay?"

"He can't absorb his spikes anymore." Kitty told her, her voice subdued. "And it wasn't in the water; it was in that new sports drink Power8. Apparently, it's toxic to mutants."

"Someone's done something about that, right?" Rogue asked, a scowl on her face.

"Professor X went to talk to the company owner." Kitty pulled a face. "Although I'm betting that did more harm than good."

Remy snorted. "I wouldn't take that bet."

"How is Evan?" Rogue prompted.

"Living with the Morlocks." Kitty sighed. "It's a long story, and I wouldn't bring it up around Storm if I were you."

"Duly noted." Rogue muttered. "Anything else?"

"Actually, yes. You know how Wolverine worked with SHIELD for a bit?" Kitty took a deep breath. "It turns out there's this enemy group called HYDRA and they wanted their own Weapon X, except obviously they couldn't steal Mr. Logan, so they made a new one, except pumping kids full of adamantium was killing them, so they took baby number 23 and infused it with some of Wolverine's DNA to give them his healing power and then gave them a metal skeleton. But the new Weapon X blamed Wolverine for it and escaped and turned up here, then SHIELD came, except Logan explained what had happened and helped them escape."

"So Logan has a clone." Rogue concluded, as always never revealing her surprise. "Do they act the same?"

"Not a clone; a genetically-enhanced copy." Kitty corrected. "And similar; managed to take us all out in the space of twenty minutes. Wolverine's never tried." She shuddered. "Nor do I want him to after that demonstration."

"What's his name?" Rogue prompted.

"The new Weapon X?" Kitty checked.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Yeah, who else?"

Kitty smirked. "_She_ goes by X-23."

**

* * *

**

AN: I know it's shorter than the other chapters, but this is more of a filler, so bear with me. Also, I know Evan's power surge happened before Rogue's, but I'm already taking more than a few liberties with the time-line. Review please!

**Translations:**

_**Mon dieu, chérie, tu emballes un poinçon, fais-tu pas?- **_**My God, dear, you pack a punch, don't you?**

_**Je t'adore**__** – **_**I love you.**


	18. Under Lock and Key

**Disclaimer: Believe it or not, only the plot belongs to me (still).**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen – Under Lock and Key

**March 1997**

After a few months, things went back to normal. Remy and Rogue were rarely out of each other's company, just like Scott and Jean and John and Amara. One Saturday morning, the students were playing a game of 'Mutant-Ball', which was baseball, except with powers.

Remy was watching, along with Logan and the Professor, and telling them about a rather concerning misadventure the night before.

"So let me get this straight," Logan growled, "you don't remember leaving the Institute?"

Remy shook his head. "Non. When I woke, I was nowhere near here. Magneto was there, along wit' a little man who looked like a monkey and another man, who had strange tattoos all over his head."

"Mesmero." Professor Xavier frowned. "And, if I'm not mistaken, the other man was Mastermind. But where were you?"

The sound of beating wings caused them to look up and Warren Worthington III swooped down on them, landing in front of Remy. "You're the guy who broke into my house last night."

"Well, there's your answer." Logan pointed out. "The question is…"

"Why?" Remy finished.

A few minutes later, they were all standing in Cerebro with Scott and Jean and Hank was searching for Mesmero.

"So I broke into your house and stole an ancient artefact, woke y' up in t' process, then knocked y' out?" Remy summarised, shaking his head. "Amateur."

Warren raised an eyebrow at Logan, who shrugged. "Gumbo was in the Thieves' Guild back in New Orleans; if he hadn't been possessed, there's no way you'd have heard him. He's too good."

"Why, t'ank y'." Remy paused. "I think."

"Is this him?" Hank asked, as Mesmero's face came onto the screen.

"That's the guy." Warren stated; Remy nodded in agreement. "It's not a face you forget easily. But why use someone else to break in?"

"Because that's what he does." Professor Xavier sighed. "He manipulates others, just as he did with Jean in order to steal those rings."

Hank brought up a visual. "We've now been able to determine that the rings work together as some kind of key. The other half of Warren's stolen Spider-stone is in a London museum. When put together, they complete the spider."

"And that Spider-stone might well do the same." Professor Xavier summarised.

"A key to what?" Warren asked.

"I don't know." Professor Xavier admitted. "But with Magneto now involved, I feel it imperative that we secure the other half before he does."

"Absolutely." Bobby agreed from behind them.

"No, kid, you're staying here." Logan told him, not bothering to chide him for eavesdropping. "And with Storm away, I'd best stay as well; someone's gotta make sure the kids don't blow the place up."

"Right." Professor Xavier nodded. "Gambit?"

"Coming." Remy said firmly.

"And it might be best if we take Pyro as well." Jean suggested. "They both know the way Magneto works."

* * *

"Well, the museum looks pretty quiet." Hank observed as the jet touched down. "Maybe we got here in time."

"Maybe." Professor X agreed. "But we'd better hurry, just in case. Scott, would you go and inform our stowaway that we've arrived?"

"Stowaway?" Scott repeated.

"Got it covered." John leaned back and opened one of the storage compartments. "Bobby, we're here."

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Got anything to say for yourself?"

"Yeah." Bobby climbed out and stretched, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's the last time I fly no frills."

Scott rolled his eyes behind his shades as Jean covered her mouth to hide a snigger. With Professor Xavier waiting in the jet in case he was needed, the seven X-Men made their way towards the silent museum, all on high alert. Without missing a step, Bobby iced up. "Oh yeah. Definitely the cool team."

Jean didn't bother commenting on the terrible pun – she'd had enough practice ignoring her brother's – and focused instead on the doors to the museum. "Looks like Magneto is here already. And he let himself in."

"You stick with me." Hank told Bobby firmly.

Bobby grinned confidently. "Don't worry. I've got your back."

Hank sighed wearily. "You don't have my back. You don't have a clue."

"Split up." Scott instructed. "Jean and I will take one side. Angel, the other. Beast and Iceman, the roof. Gambit, Pyro, use the doors."

"Oh, sure." John rolled his eyes. "You guys get the cool entrances."

Ignoring him, Jean levitated herself and Scott up to one of the windows, spotting a familiar figure skulking inside. "Sabretooth."

"Make it happen." Scott told her.

With a burst of telekinesis, Jean pushed the window open and caught Sabretooth in a curtain. At the same time, Warren swooped in from the other side, John and Remy burst in from the doors and Hank and Bobby slid down an ice pole from the ceiling.

Within seconds, Sabretooth was free, but Scott blasted him into a metal Colossus, who had just come running in.

"We have Acolytes." John observed.

"And I think they wanna play." Remy pulled two fully-charged cards from his pocket, ready to fight.

Ignoring his former team-mates, Sabretooth hurled pieces of marble and stone up at Warren, who flapped his wings harder, forcing them to change direction. Colossus hurled a block of metal at Scott, who blasted it to pieces.

With a growl, Sabretooth picked up one of the admissions booths and aimed it at Hank; its way was blocked by an ice-shield.

"Like I said," Bobby slid down it, "Iceman's got your back."

Before anything else could be done, there was an almighty crash from above them; everyone spun around to see a glowing green spider leap down and land on a couple of parked cars.

"I don't care what it takes." Magneto called to his Acolytes. "Destroy that spider!"

Without a backward glance, Colossus and Sabretooth took off.

"Eric, no!" Professor Xavier shouted, emerging from the nearby Blackbird. "We don't know anything about it!"

"I know enough." Magneto snapped. "That's one key that won't be unlocking any doors."

As he flew off, Professor Xavier turned to the X-Men. "We have to capture it and then protect it. That Spider-stone has answers we need."

"We're on it, Professor." Scott told him.

The X-Men took up the pursuit and soon caught up with the giant arachnid. "Pyro, try to trap it!" Scott called.

"Right you are!" Using his flame-thrower, John sent a ring of flames around the spider.

"Right, now…" Scott trailed off. "Where'd it go?"

"It's gone down under!" John called. "Move!"

The X-Men dove aside as a schism ripped through the ground towards the harbour and then disappeared.

"Alright, now where is it?!" Scott demanded.

Remy pointed. "It went that way. I just don't know whereabouts that way."

"It's in the river!" Warren called from the sky. "There!"

Sure enough, there was a green glow moving through the water.

Flying up herself, Jean lifted the spider out of the water, holding it in a telekinetic bubble, but, somehow the spider broke free, throwing Jean back before diving back into the water.

Scott ran forwards to catch her, sending them both falling to the ground anyway. "Alright?"

"Fine." Jean stood up.

"That is one persistent insect." John commented.

"Actually, spiders aren't insects." Hank told him. "You see…"

"Tell him later!" Bobby interrupted, creating a bridge over the river. "Hang on!"

As the ice carried them, Scott threw optic blasts at it.

"Scott, don't hurt it!" Jean warned.

"Just trying to slow it down." Scott told her. "Hang on. Nothing seems to be working."

As the spider trundled into the heart of the city, cars crashed beneath it and people ran screaming through the streets. A bus skidded to a halt and overturned on top of it.

"Jean, that was an empty bus! Get the driver out!" Scott ordered. "Gambit, blow it up!"

"But…" Jean protested.

"Do it!"

Sighing, Jean ripped the door off and lifted the panicking driver from within it. As Remy ran for the hunk of metal, she set the human gently down. "Are you alright?"

"Been better." He wheezed.

"Get to a hospital." Jean told him. "Go on."

"Back up!" Remy warned. "It's gonna blow!" And blow it did. "I do believe that slowed it down."

"Just long enough." Magneto swooped down as the spider rose from the wreckage and landed in front of it.

The Velocity swooped down. "Don't do it, Eric!" Professor Xavier shouted across the PA. "Do not destroy it!"

"I must!" Magneto concentrated and placed his hands on the spider, which glowed even brighter, an eerie wind rising around them, and seemed to absorb into his hands. He collapsed, clutching the Spider-stone.

"You've done the very thing Mesmero wanted." Professor Xavier sighed.

"No." Magneto disagreed as Colossus helped him to his feet. "The key has been destroyed."

"And he knew only you had the power to do it." The professor replied. "That wasn't just a key; it was a guardian. Designed to prevent Apocalypse's release. And, with its destruction, the second door will now open. He used you, Eric."

During this, Warren and Hank had wandered away to the edge of the docks.

"It was heading directly south-east." Warren commented.

"But where was it going?" Hank asked.

"I don't know." Professor Xavier admitted. "But it's in our best interest to find out. Because when Mesmero finds the third and final key, the world as we know it will change forever."

* * *

"And what exactly did he mean by that?" Lance asked.

Kitty sighed. "I don't know. Jean said he didn't elaborate."

"And Apocalypse?"

The two were lying side by side on a blanket beside Lance's car, just outside Bayville in a quiet field, gazing up at the dark star-lit sky above them. They had never had what some people would consider a 'normal' date; then again, they had never felt the need to. They were perfectly content with just being together without their friends interrupting, although the Brotherhood no longer had any problems with their relationship, and most of the X-Men were accepting as well.

Kitty shook her head. "I've never heard of him. I mean, 'apocalypse' is supposed to be the end of the world, but I've never come across anyone with that name – man or mutant – and I can't find him anywhere." She bit her lip. "I hate not knowing what I'm dealing with."

"I know." Lance took her hand and squeezed it, entangling his fingers with hers. "It'll be fine."

"The apocalypse is supposed to be heralded by the four horsemen." Kitty stated. "War, famine, pestilence and death."

"Well, I can't think of any mutants with those powers." Lance told her, in a transparent attempt to cheer her up. "There's still another door, isn't there?"

"I guess." Kitty shifted closer to him and he slipped his arm around her, tucking her head under his chin. "I just have a bad feeling and no one else seems to feel it."

"I do." Lance assured her quietly, kissing her forehead. "I trust your instincts, Kitten."

Kitty didn't respond for a few seconds, letting herself absorb comfort from her boyfriend's embrace. Finally, she spoke, forcing the admission from her lips. "I'm scared, Lance."

Still keeping her in his arms, Lance sat up and pulled her into his lap. Cupping her face, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I know."

"What if he gets out?" Kitty whispered. "What if we're not enough to stop him?"

"You might not be." Lance told her. "But I promise you, Kitty, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

Kitty smiled softly, leaning against him. "I know you won't. I love you."

Lance ran a gentle hand through her hair. "I love you too."

**

* * *

**

AN: A little close to the show for my liking, but I don't like missing things out. Review please!


	19. Playing With Fire

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen – Playing With Fire

**April 1997**

"AMARA!" John screamed, staring at the volcano crater. "AMARA!" He sagged against Storm in the air. "No…"

How could a vacation go so wrong so quickly?

It had all started a few weeks ago, when Professor Xavier suggested that Ororo take a few of the students on a cruise over Spring Break to take their minds off the spider incident and hers off Evan's absence.

All had been going well, until Tabitha, who had tagged along, had noticed Amara getting steadily sicker.

And then everyone found out about their powers.

And _then _the sea had become suddenly rougher, leaving the boat unable to dock at the nearest island.

_{Flashback to two days ago}_

"_Well, that's just fantastic!" Tabby commented sarcastically. "We're trapped on a ship with people who hate us and would be quite happy to throw us overboard!"_

_Amara let out a groan and stumbled, landing in John's arm. "I need to get to land."_

_John smoothed her hair back and looked up at Tabby and Bobby, who looked worried. "This is more than sea-sickness, isn't it?"_

"_You hate the dark because of your powers." Bobby reminded him. "Lance doesn't like flying because of his powers. Amara is more than fire; she's magma as well. We have to get her off this boat!"_

"_We could always take a leaf out of their book." Tabby suggested, pointing across the water to where Jean and Scott could be seen flying towards land. "They're bailing on us!"_

_Bobby's face lit up. "Hang on. I've just had an idea." He led them down to where the lifeboats were._

"_Bobby, we can't take a boat." Amara protested weakly._

"_Who said anything about taking one?" Bobby asked, aiming his hand at the water. The beam of ice he created shimmered in the air and formed an ice canoe, bobbing on the ocean. "Mind your step."_

_{End flashback}_

Bobby's canoe had taken them to the island, where they met up with Kurt and Kitty, who had teleported over, and headed up to the springs. The trip had been going fine until an earthquake had started. Bobby made them an ice-slide down the mountain, which housed a dormant volcano, and they saved the islanders, becoming instant celebrities. In fact, the islanders were so impressed, they threw a party in their honour.

The party, unfortunately, was cut short when the volcano erupted, leaving Amara and John the only two who could combat it and, even then, John could only stop it from getting worse. He and Amara had been separated as he helped the others try to save the panicked villagers. Storm, having discovered them missing, had flown across and helped put the fires out.

_{Flashback to five minutes ago}_

"_Scott! Jean!" Ororo called, landing beside them as the heavens opened successfully dousing the flames. "Where are the others?"_

"_I don't know." Scott admitted. "Everything happened so fast. I think …"_

"_Storm!" Tabitha yelled, sprinting towards them. "Amara's gone up to the crater!"_

"_What?!" Ororo caught sight of John's expression and the wind increased, pulling him up to her side. "We've got to stop her."_

_When the reached the crater, Amara was standing at the edge in her Magma form, bending and shaping the molten lava to her every will._

"_Amara, get away from there!" Storm called. "It's too dangerous!"_

"_Amara, please listen to her." John pleaded when his girlfriend didn't move. "Please."_

_The lava stilled and, for a split-second, Amara seemed about to turn back, but then the volcano rumbled again; the ground shook, the rock at her feet crumbled and she pitched forwards, performing a perfect swan-dive into the fiery depths below._

"_AMARA!" John screamed, staring at the volcano crater. "AMARA!" He sagged against Storm in the air. "No…"_

_{End flashback}_

The wind dropped and Ororo dropped them both to the ground, keeping a safe hold on the back of his shirt. "Can you pull her out?"

John tried, reaching out desperately with his powers, but it was to no avail. "No, I control fire, not lava."

The surface of the molten rock bubbled for a few seconds, then hardened into a thick crust.

"What happened?" Scott demanded as the others caught up with them.

"Amara …" Ororo whispered. "She fell in."

"Dived." John corrected, still staring in shock at the place she had vanished from. "She dived in."

"She …" Jean's voice caught. "She sacrificed herself to stop it?"

"She thought she caused it." John explained, his voice flat. "When she was in the spring, she powered up and swam down. There was a fissure; the earthquake began as she went near it."

Kitty knelt beside him. "Are you okay?"

"She's gone." John whispered, closing his eyes. "She's gone." He felt Kitty wrap her arms around him, holding him close. At the same time, he felt tears seep from under his eyelids. He hadn't cried when his parents died. He hadn't cried when his sister kicked him out. But he wept soundly now, grateful for the comfort she offered.

Life had a funny way of working.

Suddenly he heard the others gasp and looked up to see that a jet of fire had burst through the hardened rock, shaping into a phoenix. It opened its mouth in a silent screech and another tongue of fire extended, but this one seemed different.

Slowly, John got to his feet and moved forwards as though transfixed by the sight in front of him.

Behind him, there was a soft scuffle, as if someone had moved to follow and been held back. The fire extended still further and wrapped around him, warming him. But his eyes were fixed on the mouth of the phoenix as Magma stepped out and let the flame carry her down.

The second her feet hit the ground, John had wrapped his arms around her tightly, ignoring the searing heat that refused to burn. She powered down in his arms and held him desperately, her body shaking with sobs.

"Thank God." He murmured into her hair over and over again. "Thank God."

"Amara?" Ororo asked softly. "Are you alright?"

Amara lifted her head, tears streaming down her face, but stayed in her boyfriend's embrace. "I'm tired. And a little emotional. I knew what I was doing, Storm.."

"What were you doing?" Scott prompted when she didn't say anything else.

"I can't explain it." Amara told him. "It was like something was pulling me up here."

"It seems your powers are getting stronger." Ororo smiled. "Now, everyone, I don't know why you left the ship…"

"That's my fault." Amara interrupted. "I wasn't feeling well; my powers acting up."

"She looked like she was about to pass out." Tabby added.

Ororo sighed. "Very well. The ship will dock at this island tomorrow morning; you may stay here if you wish."

"Thanks." The kids chorused. One by one, they congratulated and hugged Amara, before jogging down the mountain-side after Storm until John and Amara were the only two left.

John rested his head against hers. "Never scare me like that again. I thought I'd lost you."

"I know." Amara whispered. "But when the ground went, I was gonna fall anyway. I knew I'd be alright."

"Well can you find someway of letting me know next time?" John asked. "I never want to go through that again."

"I will." Amara leaned up to kiss him. "I promise."

* * *

**July 1997**

By the time Kurt, Scott and Jean's graduation arrived, everyone had almost forgotten about the spider-stone and Amara's amazing new powers. I say, 'almost', because Hank was still searching for the last key and Amara was causing small volcanic eruptions in training.

Graduation day dawned bright and beautiful; the sun was shining, the skies were blue and the entire world seemed as happy as the students were.

Since there were no classes that day, Kitty decided to walk to the school, taking the time to reflect on her room-mate's strange behaviour, as well as the unusual events of the previous morning. Soft footsteps alerted her a second before Tabitha jogged up beside her, falling into step. "Hey."

"Hey." Kitty returned. "What's up?"

Tabby shrugged. "Nothing much. I beat the boys up again so I thought I'd go for a walk. You?"

"It's Graduation Day." Kitty answered. "We all promised them we'd be there."

"How come they're graduating a year early?" Tabby asked. "I mean, I know they can, but I'd have thought they'd stick it out until next year."

"With Kelly?" Kitty raised an eyebrow. "I wish I could go with them."

"You alright?" Tabby frowned, catching her arm. "You seem a little off today."

Kitty shrugged. "It's been a weird couple days. Yesterday morning, Bobby woke me up. When I asked him what he was doing in my room, he told me I was in his room. On the floor. And I have no idea how I got there."

"You woke up in Bobby and Ray's room?" Tabby asked with a predictable smirk. "Best not tell Lance about _that_."

"Nothing happened." Kitty rolled her eyes. "I just wish I knew …" She stopped dead in her tracks, a shot of worry coursing through her. "Tabby, did you leave the door open when you left this morning?"

Tabby followed her gaze. "No."

The two girls stayed where they were for a few seconds, staring at the open door, half expecting something to happen. When it became apparent that there was no mad axe-murderer waiting to burst out of the house and slaughter them, they hurried over, only to find Wanda lying motionless just inside the door. As Tabby knelt to check on her, Kitty slipped past her, seeing Lance in the same state by the kitchen and Pietro lying at the bottom of the stairs. A quick glance around told her that Fred and Todd were also down in the living room.

For a heart-stopping moment, Kitty thought they were dead, but then her logic caught up with her and she realised that they were simply unconscious.

"What happened?" Tabby whispered. "How is this possible? None of them look injured and there's no sign of a struggle."

Kitty crouched beside Lance, looking back towards the living room. "How can you tell?"

"It's an organised mess." Tabby insisted.

"Sure it is." Kitty felt Lance's forehead, trying to gauge if he was sick, but couldn't feel any fever. "Lance? Baby, you need to wake up."

"Wanda?" Tabby called. "C'mon, girl; what happened?"

With a soft groan, Wanda shifted and her eyes flickered open. "Rogue … Rogue happened."

"What …?" Kitty broke off as Lance moved as well. "Hey."

Lance's eyes cracked open and he smiled weakly. "Hey yourself."

"You okay?" Kitty asked softly, helping her to his feet.

"Been better." Lance admitted, rubbing his head.

Kitty shook her head. "Rogue did this? Why?"

"That's just what I was wondering, Shadowcat."

Kitty saw Lance's face darken and she turned to see Magneto in the doorway, his face cast into shadow by his helmet, with Sabretooth and Colossus behind him. She felt Lance grasp her hand and pull her back, placing himself between her and the Acolytes.

Tabby helped Wanda to her feet and the two other girls moved back as well, the latter watching her father warily.

A presence behind her told Kitty that the rest of the Brotherhood had woken as well and were waiting for the next move.

"What are you doing here?" Lance asked, just civilly enough to get away with it.

"To see if you had gone through the same as us." Magneto surveyed them. "And clearly you did. Miss Pryde, where is Professor Xavier?"

"He's at Bayville High." Kitty answered. "It's graduation, but it didn't happen to us; I'd have …" She trailed off. "Rogue had a really bad headache this morning. And yesterday morning, actually. And I woke up in …" Another memory was working its way into her mind; waking up to the noise of someone crying out … entering the other room to find Bobby and Ray unconscious instead of asleep … stepping back and blacking out immediately. "She got us too. She's got to be possessed; she wouldn't do this otherwise."

"Going to Bayville High isn't a good idea." Pietro warned as his father turned to leave. "Mom's pissed off enough without you adding 'ruining her niece's graduation' to your list of charges."

"Speaking of which, _Uncle Damien_," Lance couldn't hide his smirk, "I should probably get there myself."

Magneto paid them no heed, flying off with his two followers in tow. Kitty sighed heavily, shaking her head. "We'd better get going; don't want to miss the fireworks."

"Actually, I do." Wanda sank into a chair, clutching her head. "I'm staying here, if you don't mind."

"Tell Jean I'm sorry?" Lance requesting, kissing his girlfriend's cheek. "But I know what Aunt Judy's temper's like and I'm not dealing with it after what just happened."

"Fair enough." Kitty turned her head and kissed him quickly, before bidding the others goodbye and jogging out the door. She had barely left the front gate when a sudden gust of wind told her she had company and Pietro slowed to keep pace with her. "Yes?"

"What? I can't watch my cousin graduate?" Pietro asked.

"You can." Kitty glanced at him. "I just wasn't expecting you to."

"This is one show I don't wanna miss." Pietro told her. "Besides, I can get us there ten times faster."

Kitty stopped and turned to face him as he held out a hand to her. "Probably more."

"Right." Pietro smirked at her. "So what are you waiting for?"

"Good question." Kitty took his hand and, within a second, they were standing beside Sara, Judy and Eric.

"Pietro!" Judy hugged her son. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'd love to say that I came to support my cousin." Pietro pulled a face. "That sounds weird. But I'm really here because I didn't want to miss this family reunion."

"Family reunion?" Sara repeated. "What reunion? Where are Lance and Wanda?"

"Waiting for the headaches to subside." Kitty answered. "It's very complicated and we wouldn't have brought it up, but …"

"Oh no!" Kelly's voice reached them and they all followed his gaze to see Magneto, Sabretooth and Colossus heading towards them.

Somewhere in front of them, in the calm before the storm, Kitty heard Scott's voice sigh, "There goes graduation."

Then the panic set in and Scott, Jean and Kurt fought their way through the fleeing crowds to reach them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kitty saw Rogue leaving and nudged Pietro in the side. "Quicksilver …"

Catching on, Pietro sped off, grabbed his former team-mate by the waist and pulled her back to them. Several of the metal chairs left the ground and surrounded her, keeping her in place.

"What the hell is going on?!" Remy demanded, his hand automatically moving to his pocket for his cards.

"An excellent question." Xavier agreed. "Magneto, explain yourself."

Kitty heard Judy gasp behind her and realised she had only just connected the mutant in front of her with her estranged husband. She moved back and squeezed her hand comfortingly, taking Sara's arm as well, knowing from experience that something was about to happen and these two had no way of defending themselves.

"The girl is under Mesmero's control, Charles." Magneto stated calmly. "She attacked us to steal our powers and then wiped our minds with his power to cover it up."

"Then what proof do you have?" Xavier asked.

"Our surveillance cameras." Magneto answered promptly. "They caught it all."

"And she got us too." Pietro added. "Didn't bother to wipe our minds."

Suddenly, and without warning, Rogue lifted her arms, sending the chairs flying backwards; Judy and Sara both screamed, but the chairs passed harmlessly through them as Kitty phased automatically, watching helplessly as her room-mate took off skyward.

"How …?" Sara whispered.

"Incorporeal tangibility." Kitty responded quietly, her gaze still fixed on the sky. "I can walk through solid things."

"Wolverine, Gambit, track her." Professor Xavier commanded.

Magneto looked at Sabretooth. "Go with them."

"No!" Logan protested. "I don't need _his_ help!"

Kitty looked at Pietro. "Your dad's lost it."

Pietro shook his head. "I don't think he ever had it."

"Logan, you two must put it aside." Professor Xavier insisted. "There's too much at stake."

Remy leaned over to John, who was gaping at their former boss. "This should be fun."

John shook his head and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good luck, mate. You'll need it."

**

* * *

**

AN: Review please!


	20. Race Against Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution**

* * *

Chapter Twenty – Race Against Time

**July 1997**

"Our goal is two-fold," Professor Xavier told Magneto as they moved through the lower levels of the mansion, "we have to prevent Rogue from securing the final key and, in the likely event that we fail…"

"We find the door first and defend it." Magneto finished. "But for that, we need to assemble only our most experienced team members."

"I've had limited success determining Apocalypse's place of origin beyond ancient Egypt." Hank admitted as they joined him at the main computer.

"Search under his real name." Magneto suggested. "En-Sabah-Nur."

* * *

Out on a remote road, with only a few trees to serve as landmarks, Logan slashed through a door on one side of an abandoned car, while Sabretooth ripped off the opposite. Both stuck their heads in, sniffing around.

"Rogue." Logan concluded.

"Mesmero." Sabretooth growled.

"Neither of them was in the driver's seat." Logan pulled his head out. "But I'm not getting a scent."

"That's because you don't know what you're talking about." Sabretooth told him.

With a snarl, Logan leapt onto the roof of the car. "I'm not putting up with this shit anymore!"

Any move they could have made was blocked by Remy's bo-staff. "Here's a news bulletin." He snapped. "This ain't about you two pit-bulls! Now let's go find Rogue!"

Sabretooth scowled. "She must have taken a boat."

"Or a plane." Remy suggested, catching sight of an isolated cluster of buildings in the distance.

* * *

"En-Sabah-Nur." Magneto read from the screen. "Ruled about five thousand years ago. In Giza."

"Which would logically be where he's entombed." Hank agreed. "But the specific location of that tomb is unknown."

"I fear the only place that information lies is in the mind of Mesmero." Magneto frowned.

"I've been in that mind." Professor Xavier remembered. "Perhaps I've had the answer all along. With Cerebro amplifying my powers, I may just be able to interpret the jumbled knowledge I took from him."

* * *

Sabretooth, Remy and Logan burst into the control tower of the airport to find overturned chairs, spilled papers and unconscious watchmen.

"Yeah, they were here." Sabretooth concluded.

"Gee, what was your first clue?" Logan growled sarcastically. "You think maybe they stole the jet too?"

"Hey!" Remy called, forestalling an argument. "Is this them?" He pointed at a blip on the radar.

"Looks like it." Logan agreed. "They're passing over California, heading for the Pacific."

Remy looked out at a lone plane, waiting innocently on the runway. "Hope you boys brought your 'Frequent Flier' cards."

* * *

That evening, a strange group gathered at the feet of the Sphinx in Giza: Magneto, Professor Xavier, Beast, Storm, Iceman, Jean, Cyclops, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, Pyro, Quicksilver and Colossus.

"I believe the door is housed in an underground chamber." Professor Xavier told them. "Kitty?"

Hank helped her don an oxygen mask and switched on a torch. "We'll be in radio contact."

"I'll let you know what I find." Kitty phased down halfway. When she didn't feel air around her feet, she pulled herself out and dived in headfirst.

Absently, she noted that several geologists and archaeologists would kill for her powers. As she moved through the earth, she could see the layers of rock and fossil. Finally, she emerged into a chamber. Keeping herself intangible so she could float down safely, she landed at the feet of a gigantic statue.

"I'm in some kind of chamber." Kitty said into the radio. "Statues and everything. I'm on a stairway, I think."

"Kitty, do you see any kind of lever at the top of those stairs?" Hank asked.

"Hang on, I'll look." Kitty moved upwards; instead of a door, there was a painted wall. In the centre was what looked like a spider and, above it, was a stone circle. "I think I've found it; like a stone knob?"

"Push it in and get out of the way." Hank told her.

Kitty pushed; it was harder than it looked. Finally, it moved in and she ran down the stairs. Looking back, she saw that the wall had parted and a stone staircase was forming; she could see the moon through a pin-prick of light. Removing the mask, she sat down and waited.

Pietro was down in seconds. "Not exactly the Ritz, is it?"

Kitty shivered. "Gives me the creeps if I'm honest. Didn't they tell you to go slow?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't want to sit down here on my own." Pietro told her, taking a seat on the step next to her.

"Who are you and what have you done with Quicksilver?" Kitty asked immediately.

"What? I'm not allowed to be nice to you?" Pietro asked. "You and Lance keep going at this rate; you'll be family before you know it and I'll _have_ to be nice to you."

Kitty blushed but Magneto and Professor Xavier floated in before she could retort and the others weren't far behind.

"Pyro, light the way." Magneto requested. "Then let's find that door."

Resigning himself to the fact that he'd _have_ to work with Magneto again, at least for now, John powered up his flame-thrower and sent a ball of flames to each of the torches. "No problem."

A sudden roar echoed around the chamber; one by one, the statues of gods lining the walls came to life, some drawing weapons. At the same time, the bottom of the staircase closed off and the torches extinguished.

"Pyro!" Magneto prompted sharply.

The chamber was lit up again by John's flame-thrower and everyone gasped as one of the statues stepped forwards and the battle began.

Scott blasted it, but it made no difference and he was forced to dive out of the way as a column collapsed. As Colossus ran to help, the floor caved in, sending him plummeting, along with Kurt and Kitty.

Falling rocks separated the rest of the team and the floor began to descend, carrying Scott, Pietro and John down with it.

Hank attacked another of the statues, clinging to a column for safety, but it was brought down seconds later. He jumped clear, but it knocked Professor Xavier from his wheelchair. As the floor gave way, Magneto managed to save him and lift him clear.

As Bobby stumbled, the floor beneath him beginning to give way, Jean lifted him to safety, but they were attacked by another statue. Storm flew in and struck it with lightning, giving Jean and Bobby time to run, but it knocked her away, taking down another column

Jean threw up a telekinetic shield to stop any more flying rocks from hitting them, but the ground shook, throwing her off balance and the two fell down the stairs. Bobby groaned and got to his feet, but Jean lay lifeless beside him.

Magneto and Professor Xavier managed to get into another corridor; the door began to descend, but Hank skidded through just in time. It looked like the four teams were on their own.

* * *

Down with Pietro, Scott and John, the three boys were staring up at two huge statues.

"Nobody move." Scott told them quietly. "Nice and slow, let's find us a way out of here."

"You got it!" Pietro sped off.

"What part of slow didn't he understand?" Scott groaned.

"For Pietro, that was slow." John told him. "Looks like we've got a fight on our hands!"

Both blasted them, but it was to no avail; they were knocked backwards and forced to find a new strategy.

* * *

Another of Storm's lightning bolts hit the statue, knocking it back. Taking the opportunity, she shook the unconscious girl in her arms. "Jean! Wake up! Jean!"

Bobby iced the floor under the giant's foot and set it skidding across the chamber to hit the opposite wall. It got to his feet but he concentrated harder and put the whole thing on ice.

Ororo sent a ball of lightning up, revealing a door. Bobby approached it cautiously and the lion statue either side came to life, condensation dripping from them like drool.

Storm laid Jean down and flew up, conjuring lightning and striking them over and over again.

* * *

Kitty phased through a wall and was nearly met with a steel fist. "Whoa! Take it easy! I said let me check it out first."

"What did you find?" Colossus asked.

"Nothing." Kitty sighed. "Just more tunnels."

Kurt teleported in. "I found the headset, but it won't do us any good."

Kitty took it and tried to repair the wires. "I should have kept it on." She murmured, fear coursing through her.

"Then we must keep looking for the others." Colossus stated, stomping away.

Kitty pulled out her torch, which had mercifully survived the fall and she and Kurt jogged after him.

* * *

"Hello? Shadowcat, do you read?" Hank called into the head-set. "Anybody? We need to search for them."

"No." Magneto disagreed. "We must not lose sight of the objective."

"He's right, Hank." Professor Xavier added. "They've been trained to take care of themselves. I'll send out a telepathic message, telling them all where to find us."

Magneto observed the hieroglyphics on the walls. "How's your ancient Egyptian?"

"Rusty." Hank admitted. "But I do recognise some of these markings. Especially that one." He pointed.

"Apocalypse." Magneto whispered.

Hank frowned. "This speaks of an age when the pharaoh Rama Tut seemingly fell from the stars and brought with him some kind of …" He hesitated, examining the markings. "It doesn't really translate … technology, I think. Anyway, he used this as a source of power to take control of the land.

"During this time, a mutant grey-skinned infant was abandoned in the desert to perish. The child's cries were answered when he was found by a tribe of bandits, ruled by a warrior named Baul. He saw the power in the child and took him as his own. He named him En-Sabah-Nur, which means 'The First One'. Under Baul's protection and training, Nur became a powerful warrior; his speed and strength were without equal and no one could touch him. He was a natural.

"Rumours of En-Sabah-Nur's inhuman might had reached the pharaoh, Rama Tut, who saw Nur as a threat to his rule and ordered his destruction. In the end, Baul and his army were defeated. Only En-Sabah-Nur remained. Since nothing could withstand his wrath, En-Sabah-Nur took the name Apocalypse."

* * *

Elsewhere, Scott managed to blow an arm off one of the statues, with interesting results. "They're mechanical!"

"Either someone's been down here or these Egyptians were smarter than we give them credit for." John ducked one arm, but was hit by another, knocking him into the wall.

It was at this point that Pietro reappeared. "I've found a way out, so let's finish these guys!" He took off, speeding around the robot and creating a tornado-like vortex that threw it into the wall.

The impact made a few bricks loosen on the other side, where Storm was finishing the lions.

Bobby, carrying Jean, backed away, catching sight of their original attacker breaking free of the ice.

The two lions blew up and Storm fell from the sky, exhausted, just as the first robot escaped from its prison.

Moving so that Jean was behind him, Bobby sent a beam of ice at the robot, but it made no difference. His second attempt was even less effective; nothing happened. "I'm totally iced out!" He warned, as their attacker took a swing towards them.

However, it was thrown into the wall, breaking through into the chamber where the others were, and Bobby turned to see that Jean had woken just in time.

Jean flew into the air and created a telekinetic bubble that threw the last robot into the wall, eliminating the last threat.

"Scott!" Jean flew down into his arms.

"We're alright." Scott hugged her tightly.

"Did you get the Professor's message?" Jean asked.

"Yes, he's somewhere above us." Scott told her.

"Follow me." Pietro told them, supporting most of John's weight. "There's a tunnel."

* * *

Hank was still translating the ancient text. "Apocalypse hunted down the pharaoh who fled, never to be seen again. Apocalypse then discovered the source of Rama Tut's power, deep within these chambers; a vessel. And, inside the vessel, a device called the Eye of Ages. He mastered the secrets of this strange technology to reshape the world in his own image."

"Mutants." Professor Xavier concluded. "He was going to turn humans into mutants. All humans."

"The Eye was powered by Apocalypse himself." Hank continued. "But when he activated it, his life-force was nearly depleted and it was then he was betrayed. Fearful of the future he planned, his trusted counsels sealed him inside. Apocalypse was entombed, hidden in the highest reaches of the world and locked behind three doors, in the hope that he would never again walk the earth."

"And…" Magneto prompted.

"That's it." Hank turned to them. "It just stops."

"Then this isn't the tomb of Apocalypse." Magneto frowned.

"And worse," Professor Xavier sighed, "we have no idea where it is."

**

* * *

**

AN: I apologise for how close this is to the show, but, as I believe I've mentioned, I don't like leaving things out; makes me feel like I've left something incomplete, which I hate. So I'm uploading this chapter with the next one to get them both out of the way :)


	21. Dark Horizons

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution. I'm uploading this chapter and the previous chapter at the same time, so if you've just clicked on the 'last chapter' button, I suggest you go back one.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty One – Dark Horizons

**July 1997**

In the Himalayas, Remy, Sabretooth and Logan had landed their 'borrowed' plane beside the other, at the base of one of the mountains.

A raging blizzard swirled around them and Remy waited while Sabretooth checked the plane and Logan checked the ground. "Three of them." The latter stated. "And, since I can't detect a third scent, it must be Mystique."

"How about you guys stop sniffing everything and just follow the foot-prints?" Remy suggested snappily, setting off up the mountain. Although he refused to show it in front of his companions, he was terrified, unable to stop the thoughts flying around his head. He had to find her.

* * *

Kitty phased through a wall and flashed her torch around. She bumped into something and spun around to see Kurt. "I think we're close. Why don't you go up and join the Professor. I'll look for the others."

"And leave you with Steel-Face?" Kurt finished. "Forget it. I don't trust him."

"Oh, would you relax?" Kitty laughed. "He's not that bad."

Colossus broke through the wall at that moment. "I grew concerned."

"See?" Kitty hissed to her team-mate.

A loud crash made them turn and Kitty lifted her torch once again. The light flooded a new hole in the wall and several familiar figures. "There you are!"

Before any reunion could take place, there was another crash and two robots burst through the wall. Scott, Bobby and John held them off while the others escaped, before running after them.

* * *

Despite the revelation of the hieroglyphics, Hank, Magneto and Professor Xavier continued on their way, approaching the other door with some anticipation.

"All this does beg the question," Hank frowned, "if Apocalypse is not entombed here then what lies within this chamber?"

"Answers." Magneto lifted his hand and the doors bent inwards, revealing a room that housed a strange pyramid-shaped crate.

"Unbelievable." Hank murmured. "Rama Tut's vessel?"

"Yes, I believe so." Professor Xavier agreed. "And to think it's been buried under the sphinx for over five thousand years."

As they approached, the markings glowed and it opened to reveal a control pad not unlike the on in Cerebro.

"Looks like the base for the Eye of Ages." Hank commented.

"But where was it taken?" Magneto asked.

Professor Xavier picked up the helmet. "A cerebral interface. Perhaps this very vessel can tell us."

"That's risky, Charles." Hank warned as Professor Xavier placed the helmet on his head.

"Yes, I know. But I believe it is the only way."

As the markings lit up, Logan's voice came from the communicator. _"Hank? Hank, are you there?"_

Hank replaced the headset. "I'm here. What's your status?"

"_We've tracked Rogue to Tibet. She's here with Mesmero…and Mystique."_

"They're in Tibet." Hank told them.

"Yes!" Magneto realised. "The highest reaches of the world. That's where Apocalypse is!"

"Wolverine, what are your exact coordinates?" Hank asked. "Machalo Peak. Okay, got it. Until we can get there, stop them any way you can."

* * *

Before Logan could respond, they were hit by a psychic attack. Peering through the pain, he could see a cloaked figure above them. After what seemed like an age, he left and they could get up again. "Xavier's mental block just saved our lives."

"Especially yours." Sabretooth agreed. "Mesmero was telling me to push you off the mountain. Problem is, I'm still tempted."

As Logan growled at his retreating back, Remy rolled his eyes. "Do me a favour. Why don't you both jump off the mountain?"

"You're paying for that later, Gumbo." Logan snapped.

"Yeah, I know." Remy muttered, but couldn't bring himself to care.

"Dead end." Sabretooth called.

"We'll see about that." Remy charged the stone and it blew apart, revealing a chamber. "Fire in the hole!"

Half-slumped against the wall, Mesmero grabbed a staff. "Destiny has dealt its hand; do not interfere!"

* * *

Back in Egypt, the X-Men and their allies finally reached the chamber where the vessel was. Magneto threw the robot back and Scott, John and Ororo blasted it.

Professor Xavier was reading it. "This vessel…it was built here on Earth ages ago…wait, ages from now? It travels instantaneously. I know how to operate it."

"And I know where to take it." Hank loped to the entrance. "Get aboard! Now!"

Through a combined effort, the robot collapsed, as everyone sprinted for the vessel, making it just before it closed and disappeared.

* * *

In Tibet, Logan and Sabretooth managed to knock Mesmero out; Remy sprinted past them into a round room. Mystique had her hand on a pillar, her mouth open in shock. Remy looked closer; she was stone, solid stone.

Fear flooded him and he sped up, running into another chamber and skidding to halt in horror.

Rogue was screaming in pain, standing next to a strange sort of shell, and she seemed to be glowing. Squinting at the bright light, Remy saw shades of people he knew leaving Rogue and flying into the…whatever it was.

Suddenly, Rogue stopped glowing and screaming and staggered back, falling to the floor. Remy ran over and scooped his girlfriend up, but anything else he may have done was stopped.

A glowing man dressed like an ancient Egyptian floated out of the shell and out of the room, paying him no heed. Gently laying Rogue down, Remy stood up and ran after him, staff poised and ready. He hit a shield and bounced back, hitting the ground and skidding to a halt, unconscious.

The X-Men exited the vessel just in time to see Apocalypse float into their chamber. Everyone readied themselves for a fight, but Apocalypse merely clapped his hands, sending out a psychic jolt that sent everyone sprawling backwards, knocking everyone out but Professor Xavier and Magneto.

As Apocalypse entered the vessel, Magneto made one last-ditch attempt to stop him, but was halted in his tracks, thrown back to the floor as the vessel closed, before glowing brightly and vanishing in front of their eyes.

Kitty groaned and pushed herself to her feet, feeling a hand grasp her arm to help her up, not really caring who it was as she leaned against them, pain shooting through her leg. "Ow …" Leaning heavily against whoever it was, she lifted her foot and felt her ankle for swelling.

"Well, that was fairly humiliating, wasn't it?" A voice commented lowly, identifying her prop as Pietro.

Finding nothing, Kitty tested her weight, grimacing as she did so. "Understatement of the century."

"Half-pint, you alright?" Logan asked from behind her.

"Think so." Kitty frowned. She shifted her weight. "Yeah, I'm fine."

It was obvious from Logan's expression that he didn't believe her, but he didn't argue, moving over to where Scott was staggering to his feet as well.

"The pain on your face would beg to differ." Pietro muttered.

"I'll live." Kitty insisted, realising at the same time that he was still supporting most of her weight. "For now." She added darkly.

Her mind was slowly catching up with the enormity of what had just happened. They had failed to stop the release of the most powerful mutant the world had ever witnessed. And their greatest battle was only just beginning.

**

* * *

**

AN: Review please!


	22. Comfort

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Two – Comfort

**August 1997**

California was miles away from New York in more ways than one. Jubilee had spent her summer vacation on the beach, blissfully unaware of the growing dangers threatening her former team-mates. She had just about settled back into her old life with one exception: living with Wolverine had taken its toll on her paranoia and she judged every new situation with the precision and mindset of an X-Man.

Even the daily news had more meaning to her now, especially the situation in Mexico; archaeologists had discovered that an ancient pyramid had been surrounded by a strange globe.

Not wanting her to worry, and knowing that she was the only person her age that _was_ worried, her mother had stopped her watching the news report, but she had seen enough to set her mind spinning.

Was it something to do with Magneto?

Was it to do with that guy who had possessed Jean and Kitty?

If she'd kept watching, would she have seen everyone again?

Would she have seen _him_?

Jubilee still heard from the X-Men every now and then, but only Kitty, Amara and Bobby emailed her regularly; Kitty every month or so, Amara once a week and Bobby every night, without fail.

Most of his emails were quite short, just a quick message to say hi and check that she was okay, but every now and then they'd be a bit longer, telling her about some prank that had been pulled or how nauseating Scott and Jean were together (as much as she missed everyone, she didn't envy him having to put up with that). He never talked about training sessions or the X-Men so to speak, but he had told her a few months ago that Evan had left the mansion to join the Morlocks – whom she vaguely remembered from the little she knew about Ray – and he was starting to fill the space he'd left in the main team.

Not that she was surprised by _that_ little development; Bobby was really the only choice to fill it, unless they went with Gambit or Pyro, but she knew that putting either one on the same team as Cyclops was asking for trouble.

As her thoughts came full-circle and settled back on what could be happening in Mexico, Jubilee arrived home from a day at the beach with her … friends, if she could even call them that any more; they were nice enough, but she hadn't realised how shallow they all were and – she supposed – how shallow she used to be. She dropped her beach-bag on the kitchen table with a sigh, pulling her sunglasses off.

"Good day?" Her mother asked from the sink.

"Sun, surf and hot guys." Jubilee listed. "What's not good about it?"

_The fact that none of those guys was Bobby._ Her head responded as her mother laughed. "I suppose it was a stupid question when you put it like that. You have mail."

"Oh." Jubilee frowned. "I thought I turned my laptop off when I went out."

Her mother chuckled again. "Actual mail, dear." She nodded to the freezer. "On the top."

"Thanks." Jubilee reached up and pulled the envelope down, seeing her name and address written neatly on the front. "That's odd."

"What is?"

Jubilee glanced up, realising that she'd expressed her confusion out loud. "It's Bobby's handwriting. He emails me every day; why's he writing me a letter?"

Her mother shrugged in response, handing her the letter opener. Slitting open the envelope, Jubilee pulled out the letter, unfolding it gingerly, seeing the same handwriting covering the page. Her eyes travelled over the words and she sank into the nearest chair, feeling her knees grow weak as the truth and emotions behind them hit her.

_Dear Jubilee,_

_I know what you're thinking. Why am I writing to you when an email would be ten times faster? I'm right, aren't I? I always said I knew you too well. But, to answer your question, this didn't seem like the sort of thing I could put in an email. I'm sure, by now, you've realised that I've been sparing you all the gory details of what's been happening, but it's time you knew the truth, so here goes …_

_You remember Mesmero? He was the telepath who possessed Jean and the others to steal those rings. It turned out that those rings worked together to make a key that opened the first of three doors guarding an ancient mutant called Apocalypse. About six months ago, Mesmero managed to get his hands on the second key and duped Magneto into destroying it, which opened the second door. About a week ago, we flew out to Egypt to stop the third door opening, but we were too late. He's out, Jubes, and he's planning on turning humans into mutants._

_Professor Xavier recons that only about 3% of humanity will survive at the end of it all. We don't know when and we don't know how, but we will do everything in our power to stop him._

_Thing is, I'm scared, Jubes. The odds of us coming back alive … they're not good. This guy knocked us all cold and he'd been imprisoned for five thousand years. That globe in Mexico? I don't know if you saw it on the news, but Magneto's gone AWOL ever since Apocalypse made him vanish in that big ball of light. Professor X thinks he's probably dead. And this is __Magneto_ _we're talking about here! If this guy can do that to him, just imagine what he's gonna do to us!_

_On second thought, don't; I have been and it's not a nice picture._

_I guess I'm writing to say goodbye, though I wish I didn't have to. I know you're planning on coming back as soon as you turn 18, but it will happen before then, so I won't get the chance to do this in person, however much I wish I could see your face one more time. When you left, I told you I would miss you. That wasn't what I'd been about to say; you knew that, I could see it in your eyes. But did you know that I was trying to tell you that I love you? Probably not; you'd have said something by now, even if it was just to say that we're just good friends and always will be and that I will forever have to pretend._

_But right now, that no longer matters, because 'always' isn't as long as I thought it would be and 'forever' is no longer in my reach._

_All I can do is ask you to remember that I have loved you since the moment I met you and I will continue to do so until the end. It is you I am fighting for and it is you I will die for._

_Love always,_

_Bobby_

"Mom …" Jubilee was painfully aware of the tears pouring down her cheeks and did nothing to try to stop them.

"Jubilee, what's the matter, dear?" Her mother wiped her hands hurriedly on a tea-towel and wrapped an arm around her, prying the letter from her hands and reading it quickly. "Oh my …"

A few tears escaped her own eyes as the letter fluttered to the ground. Jubilee leaned into her mother's embrace, heaving sobs overtaking her. She didn't bother explaining why she was upset; anyone with half a brain could tell that from the letter.

She needed to do something.

She needed to get home.

* * *

"Rogue?"

Someone else knocked on the door for the fortieth time that day and Rogue ignored it once again, despite the familiar voice.

This time, however, it did her no good; a second later, the lock clicked and the door swung open. Remy closed it behind him, ignoring her glare.

"When someone doesn't open the door, Gambit, it usually means 'go away', not 'pick the lock and come in'." She said icily.

Pulling over the desk chair, Remy sat down and fixed her with a look. "Why are y' avoiding everyone?"

"I'm not avoiding everyone." Rogue muttered.

"Rogue …"

"Anna." Rogue interrupted.

Remy blinked at her, a little startled by the change in subject. "Huh?"

"Anna." Rogue repeated. "That's my real name. _She _was the one who started calling me 'Rogue'."

"Mystique?" Remy guessed; he took the darkening of her eyes as confirmation. "Okay, then, Anna … y' know none of this was y'r fault."

Her lips quirked into a humourless smile. "I know. It was _her. _Again. Why does she do this? What did I do to her?"

Remy sighed and pulled her into his arms. "I don't know, _mon chere_. I jus' don't know."

* * *

"Kitty? Kitty? Kitty?"

Kitty blinked and shook her head. "Where am I?"

Wanda pushed a steaming mug of coffee into her hands. "You're at the Boarding House. You seemed a bit out of it when you knocked on the door."

"I was. I didn't even register getting here." Kitty took a sip. "Drink of the gods, this stuff. Lance here?"

"They'll be back…" Wanda broke off as the front door opened.

"Kitty?" Lance asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to tell you…" Kitty broke off, unsure how to word it. "Professor Xavier…he thinks that Magneto is…"

"Dead." Pietro finished shortly. "We know. We were ready for it."

Wanda nodded. "It is hard, Kitty." She admitted as if reading her mind. "He may have been a bastard, but he was our father. I think even Mom's taking it hard."

"It's understandable." Lance told her.

"It's not just that." Kitty looked up. "Mystique's gone too. There was an accident involving her and a cliff." She paused. "At least, I assume it was an accident, but Kurt and Rogue were the only two there and they're not telling."

Lance took a moment to digest this. "Would you think any less of me if I told you that I really don't care?"

"No." Kitty took another drink of coffee and looked around. "I love what you've done with the place."

"Yeah, Mom took one look at it and freaked." Wanda admitted. "It took the boys ages to accept it, but I keep telling them…"

"Family's not charity." Tabby finished, standing behind Kitty's chair and hugging her. "Hey."

"Hey." Kitty tilted her head back to look at her. "Putting up with this lot alright?"

"Well, it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it." Tabby joked, reaching over to Pietro's head.

Pietro ducked away from her hand. "Not the hair!" He looked at Kitty. "We were gonna grab a movie; you coming?"

"Thanks, but I'm not really in a 'movie' kind of place right now." Kitty admitted.

"I'm gonna pass too, guys, I think." Lance added.

"But…" Todd began.

Pietro clapped a hand over his mouth. "Good idea, Lance; see you!" They were gone in a gust of wind.

Tabby rolled her eyes. "Boys. Come on, Wanda, Fred; better go protect Speedy from the normies."

"Knowing Pietro, it'll be the other way round." Wanda commented, following her.

Kitty raised an eyebrow as the door closed. "Are you really not up to it or does this have something to do with the fact that we're now alone in an empty house?"

Lance smirked and pulled her to her feet. "You know me too well." He leaned in, but pulled away just before their lips met. "So why are you really here?"

"To tell you about Magneto and Mystique." Kitty replied easily.

"No, because I heard you ask for me." Lance told her, kissing her nose. "If that were true, you'd have been asking for Pietro."

Kitty sighed. "I'm just…I'm scared, Lance. I don't like not being in control and I've got no control over this."

"Yeah, you do." Lance told her, kissing her forehead and down her face. "You could tell me to piss off."

"Not _this_." Kitty let her head fall back as he started kissing her neck. "The…The whole…If you want a straight answer, you're going to have to stop doing that."

"Hmm, what a dilemma…" Lance's words vibrated against her skin and she bit back a moan. "I do want to know what's wrong, but you always taste so delicious."

"What's the time?" Kitty gasped. "Curfew's eleven."

"It's only nine." Lance nipped at her collar-bone. "We're alright. What's that noise?"

"That's my phone." Kitty pulled away and checked the number, fully intending to ignore the call, but groaned. "It's the Institute; if I don't answer it…" She shuddered. "Hello? Hey, Scott. Really? Oh, that's awful. Yes, that's fine. No, of course not. What do you take me for? See you tomorrow. Bye." She hung up. "Guess what?"

"Summers changed his mind about me and gave you permission to stay here tonight?" Lance guessed wildly.

"Not quite." Kitty smirked. "But you're close. Apparently, the computer system's on the glitch and I'm locked out. So I need a place to stay tonight. Do you mind?"

"Mind?" Lance repeated.

Kitty looked innocent. "Yeah, I mean, if it's too much trouble, I'm sure I can find someone to…" She was cut off by a passionate kiss as Lance pulled her into his arms. Reluctantly, Kitty broke the kiss and leaned up to whisper, "I think we need somewhere a little more comfortable."

Several hours later, the rest of the Brotherhood returned to find a note on the table explaining the problem with the Mansion's security.

Pietro and Wanda seemed to read each other's minds and distracted the others enough to get everyone to bed without waking Lance to tell him about the movie, which Wanda had to admit had been very good, despite it not being her first choice.

Once everyone was in for the night, the twins exchanged a glance. "Should we…?" Pietro asked, nodding at the closed door.

"Let me." Wanda knocked lightly, before pushing the door open. The room was dark and quiet, but she could still make out two people asleep and smiled, pulling the door shut.

"Well?" Pietro prompted.

Wanda smirked. "Life just got interesting around here."

**

* * *

**

AN: If anyone's interested in what happened between Lance and Kitty, check out my oneshot 'Home Alone'. And review please!


	23. Hello and Goodbye

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three – Hello and Goodbye

**August 1997**

The next morning, Kitty made her way back to the Institute, feeling very grateful for Wolverine's road-trip; she knew that some scents lingered no matter how many showers were taken. She also had a renewed respect for the fear Pietro held for his sister; he hadn't made one comment all morning, despite the fact that she knew that he knew what had transpired between her and Lance the previous night. She couldn't help the sigh that escaped her at the memory and fought to wipe the giddy smile off her face before she got home.

As she neared the Institute, a cab passed her and pulled up outside the gates. She slowed her pace warily, seeing the passenger side open.

But, a second later, the grin was back, this time for a different reason, and she sped up again. "Oh my God!"

Jubilee spun around. "Kitty!"

"Hi!" Kitty stopped just in front of her and hugged her tightly. "We missed you so much! Bobby has been going mad! It took him two months before he pulled a proper prank again and Jean spent three hours yelling for you to get down there as well so she could tell you both off."

Jubilee laughed. "You're kidding."

"I wish." Kitty smirked. "You're back? I mean, really back?"

"I'm really back." Jubilee confirmed. "Bobby sent me a letter about tall, bad and ugly and I talked Mom into letting me come back; she checked with Professor X last night." She leaned into the cab and handed the driver the money. "Thanks."

Kitty helped Jubilee pick up her bags, not paying attention to the cab pulling away. "So Bobby tells you that we're all risking our lives to save humanity and your mom decides to send you back?"

"Only as long as I stay here when you go out." Jubilee amended. "Which is annoying, but worth it."

"Oh, absolutely." Kitty typed in the security code and pressed her thumb against the scanner, praying that it would work. "I think anything would be worth it."

"So what are you doing out here this early?" Jubilee asked. "You're not in uniform; it can't be part of a training exercise."

"The security went on the glitch last night and locked me out." Kitty explained. "I stayed with the Brotherhood."

"Really?" Jubilee asked, stretching the word out. "That must have been fun."

Kitty laughed. "Oh, I missed you jumping to conclusions!

"I'm not jumping to conclusions." Jubilee protested. "You look like you slept with a coat-hanger in your mouth. I'd wipe that smile off your face before Scott sees you. Or Wolverine, for that matter."

"Wolverine's on a road-trip." Kitty told her. "And Scott thinks Lance and I broke up the day you left."

"I didn't know you were dating back then." Jubilee commented. "Amara said you weren't."

"We weren't." Kitty shrugged. "But Scott assumed we were. So he thinks we broke up when we actually … got together." She shook her head. "I'll tell you later. Bobby's at the summerhouse."

"How'd you know?" Jubilee asked, checking her watch. "Shouldn't he be training? Unless he got locked out as well?"

"Why would he be training?" Kitty asked, checking the time. "It's our slot."

"He said he'd been taking Spyke's place in your team." Jubilee explained.

Kitty smirked. "Well, that's a bit of exaggeration on his part. When we need him, yeah. But he's still the leader of the New Mutants, so he's running their sessions."

"He's _running_ our sessions?" Jubilee asked in surprise. "He never mentioned that."

Kitty shrugged. "Don't ask me. Leave your bags here and go and find him; I'll take them inside. He's always at the summerhouse around now; says it helps him to think."

"Bobby, thinking?" Jubilee raised an eyebrow. "There's a scary thought."

* * *

Kitty had been completely right, Jubilee saw as she approached the small structure. Her best friend was leaning on the fence, gazing out across the ocean.

Her jog slowed to a walk and then a full stop, but he acted before she could.

With a frustrated groan, Bobby buried his face in his hands. "God, Jubes; how am I supposed to do this without you?"

Jubilee took a deep breath. "Who says you have to?"

There was a pause, then Bobby turned to face her, brown eyes drinking in the sight of her. He took a few steps forward, then stopped. "I'm dreaming again." He whispered.

Jubilee flushed slightly. "You dream about me a lot?"

"All the time." Bobby admitted.

Jubilee smiled coyly. "So how do these dreams usually go?"

The tips of Bobby's ears turned pink, but he answered regardless. "Well, you put your arms around me and tell me that you love me and that you're not leaving again and then … I wake up."

"Hmm, I'm sure they aren't the only dreams." Jubilee commented, walking the rest of the way to wrap her arms around his neck lightly. "Well, I do love you." She raked her fingers through his hair, trying to flatten it a little. "And I'm never leaving again." Leaning forwards, she pressed her lips to his lightly. "And you're not dreaming."

Bobby gaped at her for a split-second, then spun them so her back was against the railing instead of his. "How are you back?"

"The letter …" Jubilee felt her throat seize up and fought to regain control of her emotions, tears springing to her eyes without warning. "It scared me. It must have scared Mom too, because she phoned Professor X straight away. But I have to stay here while you go and save the world."

"Thank God." Bobby breathed, before kissing her again desperately.

Her hands threaded into his hair, using it to pull herself closer to him. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close, much to her relief, because she felt as though her legs would give way at any second.

Gently, Bobby pulled away and dropped a kiss on her forehead, before pulling her into a hug. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." Jubilee took a deep breath, breathing in his familiar scent, sort of a cross between cinnamon and spiced fruit and something else that she never could place, but that was just completely … Bobby. "I love you so much."

"I love you." Bobby kissed her briefly and pulled back just slightly to brush the hair from her face. "I need a second-in-command; you up for the job?"

"Sure." Jubilee agreed. "You need a girlfriend too while we're at it?"

"Well …" Bobby took advantage of their current position and kissed her again. "I kind of assumed …"

"Never assume, Bobby." Jubilee interrupted with a smirk. "It makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'."

"I happen to think you've got a lovely ass." Bobby told her with a wink.

Jubilee blushed. "Thank you. I think."

"Oh, it was a compliment." Bobby ran his hands down her arms and took her hand. "Come on."

"Where?" Jubilee asked.

Bobby flashed her a grin. "Well, I've got to introduce the rest of the team to my beautiful girlfriend, don't I?"

"Oh, yeah." Jubilee fell into step beside him. "So how is everyone?"

"Well, aside from the whole 'end-of-the-world' thing, they're all pretty good. Evan's living with the Morlocks, Gambit and Rogue are dating, Wolverine's got a clone no one knew about and Scott and Jean are so nauseating that they make entire groups of people want to vomit just by smiling at each other." Bobby listed. "But you knew all that anyway."

"All except for the clone thing." Jubilee nodded. "What was all that about?"

Bobby shook his head. "Don't ask, Jubes. Just don't ask."

* * *

**January 1998**

Several months passed. Thanksgiving … Christmas… New Year…

To the inhabitants of the Institute, they seemed like a dream, a temporary break from reality. The X-Men trained harder, faster, preparing for the hell that was coming. With Jubilee at his side, Bobby seemed more focused, if that were possible, not that any of his team were complaining, at least for the moment.

One cold January morning, Remy and Rogue sat in her room, enjoying a rare moment of peace, when neither of them had a training session and it was cold enough outside that no one had come to drag one or the other out for some form of sports relief.

After a few minutes in silence, Rogue lifted her head from his shoulder, shaking off the weariness of that morning's session. "What's wrong?"

Remy looked slightly startled by the abrupt question. "Huh?"

Rogue smiled. "You're tense, _mon amour_. What's wrong?"

Remy sighed. "Okay. Y' remember how I told y' that there were other circumstances that led t' my departure from N'Orleans?"

Rogue thought back, remembering their candid conversation in the dank cell in Magneto's former headquarters. "Yes."

"When I was eight, I met a girl named Belladonna Boudreaux." Remy told her quietly. "She became my best friend, my sister in many respects. Unfortunately, she was the daughter of the Assassins' Guild, sworn enemies of _mon père_. When our fathers found out, we thought they'd be furious, but instead, they arranged for us to marry, in an attempt to stop the fighting between our families. As much as we wanted the war to stop and as much as we cared for one another, neither of us wanted to become trapped, so we agreed that I should leave. I was already having some trouble with my family and she would never have survived on her own …"

"An assassin?" Rogue interrupted. "Wouldn't have survived on her own?"

Remy grinned weakly. "Well, not as well as _moi._"

Rogue exhaled slowly. "Wow. So what's the problem?"

Without a word, Remy handed her a letter that seemed to have been read many times over and she scanned it quickly.

_Remy,_

_I don't know if this will reach you or not; I saw this school on the news and I can only hope that they know of your whereabouts or, failing that, read this and act themselves._

_The fighting between our families has gotten worse; Papa used your disappearance as an excuse and he will not listen to reason. He has made an agreement with the Rippers to help in the fight and you know them; they won't help for nothing._

_I have become a bargaining tool; their son, Julien, is my new intended. I do not wish to be trapped in a loveless marriage with either of you, but you, at least, would treat me with respect._

_I estimate five hours after the wedding before he kills me (I hope) and that's only if I survive whatever happens to me first._

_I'm not asking you to come back and marry me, since we both know that won't solve anything, but I need help. Please come home._

_Love,_

_Bella_

"Oh my God …" Rogue murmured. "You have to go and help her!"

"How?!" Remy asked. "I am one person! The X-Men are needed here and I …" He trailed off. "I have an idea. But Apocalypse …"

"We'll be fine." Rogue cut him off. "She needs help."

"Alright." Remy relented. "I'll go and tell the Professor I'm leaving."

"Okay." Rogue smirked. "But I want a proper goodbye before you leave."

With a grin, Remy kissed her and hurried down to find the Professor, reinforcing his mental shields as he went; those were the kind of thoughts he _definitely_ didn't want publicised.

* * *

"You're leaving?" Amara repeated.

John flinched. "Yes."

"Why?" Amara demanded. "Why? I just…Why?"

John sighed and sat her down. "Amara, Magneto's gone. And a vital piece of information went with him. When Colossus joined Magneto, he brought his four-year-old sister, Illyana, with him. Illyana was sick, desperately sick. Piotr begged Magneto to help her. And Magneto did; put her in a hospital. Problem is, no one knows where that hospital is, if she's even in one. Piotr's looking, but the world's a big place and she could be anywhere. She could die in the time it takes him to find her." He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "I have to help him look, Amara. I can't just sit back and do nothing."

During this, Amara's expression had softened. "Okay."

"Okay?" John repeated in disbelief. "That's it? No arguments?"

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Amara asked. "Go and find her; I'm with you all the way on this point."

"You are?" John spun her around and kissed her. "Thank you, Amara; I knew you'd understand."

"On one condition." Amara added. "If you get back and we're out fighting Apocalypse, you stay here, got it? Someone needs to back Jubes up if we lose and the rest of the world decides to lynch the rest of us."

"But…" John sighed and pulled her closer. "Okay. But if it does happen before I get back, be careful."

"When am I not?" Amara met his kiss for a few minutes. "And you're coming back, right?"

"How could I do anything but?" John brushed the hair from her face. "You're my life, Amara. I couldn't even fathom living without you. Remember what happened last time?"

Amara nodded, not able to stop the smile spreading across her face. "Vividly." Somehow, having got them rooms in a hotel, Tabby had managed to swap the rooms, so that she and John were in the same one. Amara didn't know how Tabitha managed it…nor did she really care.

John returned the smile and kissed her one last time, before reluctantly pulling away and leaving to find Professor Xavier.

A few hours later, she stood next to Rogue at the window, watching two figures slowly walk away from the Institute.

"They're going the wrong way." She murmured. "They should be here."

"I know." Rogue sighed. "But they're needed out there. You know that." She blew a soft kiss after them. "_Seras sûr, mon amour_."

* * *

By March, Amara had only had a few phone calls from John; seeing as Piotr was searching Russia, he was starting in Australia and there weren't many opportunities to get to a phone. On the other hand, Remy was perfectly capable of phoning them, but it was too dangerous, both for him and for the X-Men.

Rogue and Amara began to spend increasing amounts of time in each other's company, since both found that the other was the only person who understood what they were going through; even Kitty spoke to Lance on a daily basis, if not more often.

One morning, Amara noticed that Rogue was quieter than normal and cornered her out by the summer-house. "Alright, what's wrong?"

Rogue sighed. "That obvious, huh?"

Amara nodded. "Spill."

Rogue leaned against the railing. "Amara, what would you do if you thought you'd done something really, really stupid?"

"I'd try and fix it." Amara cocked her head, trying to read her expression. "Unless this is something that can't be fixed?"

"Not easily." Rogue bit her lip. "I think I'm pregnant."

**

* * *

**

AN: Uh oh. Yes, I know that Julien and Belladonna were brother and sister in the comics, but apparently the powers that be at WB decided that the 'Assassins' Guild' was too frightening for the ickle kiddies who might watch XME and replaced them with the Rippers. So, since Bella's in the Assassins and Julien's in the Rippers, they're not brother and sister. Review please!


	24. In This Together

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men Evolution.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Four – In This Together

**March 1998**

Amara didn't respond for a second, leaning on the railing, staring out to sea. The words hovered in the air between them, an invisible barrier to the sounds of the waves crashing against the cliff below them and the distant shouts back at the mansion. Then …

"I'm sorry. For a split-second there, I thought you said …"

"I did." Rogue interrupted bluntly.

"Wow." Amara shook her head. "That was incredibly stupid." She paused. "I said that aloud, didn't I?"

"Yes." Rogue rolled her eyes. "What do I do?"

Now Amara turned to face her. "Well, first of all, you're getting a little ahead of yourself. Have you taken a test yet?"

Rogue shook her head.

"Alright." Amara took her arm and steered her towards the gate. "We're going into town. We'll buy a test and you will take it. _Then_ we tackle the 'what to do' aspect."

"How are we going to buy a pregnancy test?!" Rogue demanded. "I'm seventeen!"

"Relax!" Amara told her breezily. "It's not like there's an age-limit."

Despite her team-mate's protests, Amara dragged her through the trees and into the high street, stopping at the nearest pharmacy.

"Amara, I can't do this!" Rogue hissed, stopping just inside the door.

"Fine!" With a flick of her hair, Amara walked up to the counter, smiling sweetly at the young man sat there, looking bored. "Hi. Erm … this is kind of embarrassing, but ... my older sister was grounded this morning; she sent me on an errand."

"And what does this have to do with me?" He asked, one eye on her, the other on the car magazine in front of him.

"You're … oh!" Amara feigned surprise. "I'm sorry; I could've sworn you were her boyfriend. Oh, well, that makes this a lot less embarrassing. Where do you keep the pregnancy tests?"

Now he looked up and, looking slightly embarrassed himself, or possibly trying to remember if his girlfriend had a younger sister, pointed towards the back of the store.

"Thank you." Amara gave him another smile and rejoined Rogue, pulling her in the indicated direction.

"Unbelievable." Rogue muttered.

Amara just smiled, but stopped dead in her tracks before she could respond. "Jean! What are you doing her?"

Jean started and cleared her throat. "Oh, I was just … um …" She picked up a box off the nearest shelf and shrugged. "I was thinking of …"

"Going blonde?" Rogue finished sceptically, snagging the hair dye from her hand. "Because this really isn't your colour."

Amara sighed and slipped past them, picking up a double pack from the shelf. "Seriously? Both of you?"

"Both …" Jean trailed off. "You too?"

Rogue nodded. "You as scared as I am?"

"Probably." Jean admitted quietly.

"Why don't you two wait outside?" Amara suggested gently. "I'll pay for these." When she caught up with them in the street, she was giggling. "I think he's expecting a call from my sister."

"_So _glad you're taking this seriously." Jean commented. "Look, we can't do this at the Institute; someone will find out."

"They're gonna find out anyway." Amara pointed out logically. "But, if you're that worried, we'll ask the Brotherhood if we can borrow their bathroom."

"I'll take that." Rogue put a hand on Jean's shoulder. "Does Scott know? Because, if he does, you should wait until he's there."

"No, I haven't said anything yet." Jean hesitated, seeming to weigh up the decision in her mind. "Okay, let's go."

And so it was that Wanda opened the front door to three X-Men, two worried, one quite unconcerned.

Only she and Pietro were home – Tabby, Fred and Todd were out somewhere and Lance was with Kitty – and Amara's quiet explanation meant that Wanda was happy to direct the girls upstairs to their bathroom.

Amara followed them, but stopped outside the door. "I'll wait downstairs." She told them quietly. "Just remember … no matter what the results are … we're all here for you. Alright?"

Both nodded silently and Amara turned on her heel and headed back downstairs.

When Lance and Kitty got back five minutes later, Amara was sitting at the kitchen table, chatting with Wanda over a plate of cookies and mugs of coffee.

The two exchanged a confused glance; Amara and Wanda, whilst they didn't dislike each other, had very little in common and there was no reason for Amara to be here.

"Hey Magma." Kitty greeted, slipping her jacket off. "What are you doing here?"

"Jean and Rogue are having some trouble, so we borrowed your bathroom." Amara answered cheerfully, directing the last half of her sentence at Lance as she offered them the plate.

"What kind of trouble?" Pietro asked, snagging a cookie as he slipped past them.

Amara opened her mouth to elaborate, but then her gaze shifted from him to the doorway, as both girls appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "Well?"

Neither answered her.

"Jean?" Lance left Kitty's side and approached his sister warily. "You okay, Jeannie?"

Jean just shook her head as a sob escaped her and she burst into tears, burying her face in his chest.

Wrapping his arms around his twin, Lance turned back to Amara. "What the hell's going on?"

Amara ignored him, wrapping an arm around Rogue's shoulders. "You too?"

Rogue nodded. "I must be further along though." She whispered. "At least two months."

"Oh my God …" Kitty hurried over and hugged her tightly, putting two and two together.

"Does anyone want to explain?!" Pietro demanded, patting Jean on the back as she continued to cry.

"We're getting a cousin." Wanda told him with a small smile. "Or a second cousin. I never did understand how that works."

"First cousin once removed." Kitty corrected. "Second cousin is the child of your parent's cousin."

"A …" Lance trailed off, moving to look Jean in the eye. "You're not .. You are. Oh God." He pulled her into a hug again, kissing her forehead and murmuring words of comfort to her.

"You okay, Jean?" Rogue asked quietly.

Jean pulled away, wiping her eyes. "No. This isn't supposed to happen to me! Not yet anyway! What do I do?!"

"We." Rogue corrected. "What do _we_ do?"

"Well, if I was pregnant," Kitty began dryly, "which – thank God – I'm not, I'd start by telling the father."

"Well, that's easier said than done." Rogue sighed. "I don't have any way to get hold of him. Honestly, I think the whole thing's worse than he's letting on."

"Then you need to tell Professor Xavier." Kitty continued as though she hadn't spoken. "He'll know sooner or later anyway. And you'll have to talk to Beast as well. And Wolverine, because he's running the training sessions. And you'll need to think about how you'll handle things when Apocalypse turns up again, because you can't really save the world pregnant. But I'm sure Jubes won't mind looking after them …"

"Kitty." Lance cut her off. "No offence, but I don't think you're helping."

Kitty grimaced. "No, you're probably right. Sorry."

"It's okay, Kitty." Jean whispered. "We're all a little out of our depth."

"Here's an idea." Amara suggested. "Why don't we just take this one day at a time?"

* * *

That evening, after a long talk with Professor Xavier (and the rest of the Instructors, much to the girls' dismay), Jean was still trying to figure out how to approach things with Scott.

As she stood on her balcony, leaning against the railing, bathed in the light setting sun, she was spared the task of finding him by his arms sliding around her waist.

"What's wrong?"

Jean smiled slightly. Even without projecting her thoughts, he knew her so well. Reluctantly, she moved out of his embrace, shivering slightly as a March wind blew past her. "Our plans just got completely fucked up, Scott."

Scott raised an eyebrow; Jean rarely cursed. "Bit behind the times, aren't you? The end of the world's coming."

"Yeah, but things just got even more complicated." Jean whispered, leaning against the wall.

"Honey, what is it?" Scott approached her, cupping her face. "Whatever it is, we can deal with it."

Jean sighed, tears swimming in her eyes. "I'm pregnant."

Scott stared at her for a few seconds. "You sure?"

Jean nodded. "I took a test today and Dr. McCoy confirmed it later." She pulled the sonogram photo from her pocket and handed it to him. "I'm about two weeks along." She waited, but he didn't say anything, gazing at the picture in his hand. "Are you okay?"

"I don't quite know what to say." Scott admitted quietly. "Everything seems to sound wrong."

_Then don't say anything._ Jean suggested telepathically, reaching up to kiss him. She opened the connection between them and his thoughts instantly flew into her head, accompanied by a rush of love and concern.

_Oh God, Logan's gonna kill me. Unless Avalanche gets there first. Oh yeah; that's the part to be focusing on, you idiot! We're not ready to be parents! And the end of the world's coming; what's gonna happen then? But … she will make such a beautiful mother. Shouldn't I be more upset about this?_

Jean pulled away gently, relieved that his thoughts echoed hers … all but the first two at least. "Alright. First of all, no one's going to kill you."

"Does your mom know?" Scott asked.

"Not yet." Jean shook her head. "And we're not going to tell her yet."

"Why?" Scott caught the look on her face. "No. Absolutely not. What happens if you haven't had the baby yet?"

"My absence could cost us." Jean argued.

"Your presence could cost us!" Scott protested. "It's the end of the world, Jean; you can't …"

"Scott, if I stay and you lose, we'll be the only ones left." Jean pointed out calmly. "And the rest of the world will be out for our blood; guilty by association. How can I bring a child into a world like that?"

Scott sighed. "Dammit, I hate it when you make sense. What if you've already had the baby?"

"Jubes has offered to baby-sit until we get back." Jean answered, leaving the _if_ unspoken. She slipped her arms around his waist. "There's something else as well. Rogue's two months along."

Extracting himself from her embrace, Scott turned to the wall and began banging his head against it. "What's she going to do?"

"Well," Jean put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. "Remember Dorian?"

Scott nodded; a few weeks ago, they'd gone out to help Evan protect the Morlocks, who had been having trouble with people who blamed the entire mutant population for what had happened to the pyramid in Mexico and now another in China as well. The turning point, it turned out, had been a young boy named Dorian Leech, who had wandered onto the scene suffering from a head-ache. Seeing Evan get hit, he'd screamed, releasing his mutant abilities, and shut down the energy nearby, including mutant powers.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. She's gonna be our last line of defence?"

Jean rested her head on his shoulder. "Let's just hope we'll never need one."

* * *

**July 1998**

"Where do you think they are?" Kitty hissed.

"I don't know." Kurt responded quietly. "But they'd better get here soon, or he's gonna kill them."

'They' were the rest of their team.

'Here' was the Danger Room.

And 'he' was Wolverine – and looking more and more angry by the second.

It had been four months since Jean and Rogue had learnt of their impending motherhood and the X-Men had quickly adjusted to the change that was soon to come.

Jean had moved into Scott's room and her room had been converted into a nursery with two cribs; her reasoning had been that it was halfway between her and Rogue and that way the two children wouldn't be lonely.

Wolverine, for his part, had warned the parents-to-be that it wouldn't be easy and not to count on him for baby-sitting.

But Kitty had come across him doing something strange to one of the walls of the nursery and he explained that he was soundproofing it, so the adjoining room could be turned into a playroom without one child waking the other up, and she knew that he was likely to be as captivated by these children as the rest of them.

Under Hank's careful gaze, the two women had continued training and had yet to miss a session.

But now they were both absent, along with Scott, which was a rarity in itself.

With a growl, Wolverine turned to them and they stood to attention subconsciously. "Find them."

"Yes sir." In unison, the two turned and ran down the corridor, all too glad to escape his presence right now.

"Where first?" Kurt asked as the elevator doors closed.

"Rec room." Kitty suggested, checking her watch. "That's where everyone else will be; they've probably just lost track of time."

As it turned out, she was right, but not in the way she'd assumed. They reached the rec room to be met with a strange scene.

The room was silent but for the TV playing the intro to a video game, but the menu was being ignored.

Jean and Rogue – the centres of attention – were sitting at opposite ends of the couch.

Scott was sitting next to his girlfriend, a hand pressed against the swell of her belly, a goofy smile on his face.

Jubilee and Amara were sitting with Rogue, their hands on her slightly bigger bump.

And the others were watching them in silence.

"What happened?" Kitty asked aloud.

"The babies kicked." Jean answered, a bright smile on her face.

"At the same time?" Kitty questioned, moving to her side and placing a hand next to Scott's.

"More or less." Rogue confirmed as Amara and Jubilee gasped.

"Oh my God …" Jubilee whispered. "That was amazing. Bobby?"

"I'm good, thanks." Bobby cleared his throat. "Why are you two in uniform?"

"Because we've got a training session." Kurt told him. "Twenty minutes ago."

Scott glanced at the time and cursed.

"Scott!" Jean chided. "The baby can hear you!"

As though to prove her point, there was a soft thud below Kitty's hand and she broke into a smile. "Wow …" She pulled her hand back. "Seriously, guys, Wolverine's about to double the time."

"Alright." Rogue waved off Sam's offered help and stood up, rubbing her bump softly. "We're coming."

"Yep." Jean looped her arm through Scott's. "Just give us five minutes to get changed."

"Can you believe Scott actually forgot about a DR session?" Kurt asked quietly.

Kitty swatted his arm. "Babies change people."

"That's not a change, Kitty." Kurt disagreed. "That's a miracle."

Kitty laughed, but her heart wasn't in it. Deep inside, she was praying that the fight with Apocalypse would stay away for at least another five months, so that the blissfully unaware prospective X-Men would have a future, even if their parents didn't.

She should have known they wouldn't be that lucky.

**

* * *

AN: I think this is still T-rated. Tell me if you think it should be higher for general content. Review please!**


	25. End of the Road

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution. Warning: possible tissues required.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Five – The End of the Road

**October 1998**

It was late October by the time the X-Men caught up with Mesmero again, at another abandoned carnival ground, and another dome appeared, this time in Egypt.

After extensive questioning, they learnt that the situation was worse than anything they could have imagined; if Apocalypse was to succeed, just under 3% of the human population would survive.

In a last-ditch attempt to keep the peace, Professor Xavier and Storm had taken one of the jets and flown out to the Sphinx, under which another pyramid had risen to serve as Apocalypse's base of operations.

Unfortunately, their peaceful approach had had the same effect as Magneto's violent one; both leaders had risen gracefully into the air, begun glowing with a strange blue light and, by all accounts, spontaneously combusted in a flash of light.

The X-Men were currently standing in Cerebro, staring at the screen in shock, the silence broken only by stifled sobs.

Averting her gaze from the main screen, movement caught Kitty's attention and she narrowed her eyes, wiping the tears away, to identify the man exiting the helijet on the main lawn.

"What do we do?" Jean whispered, tears trickling down her cheeks as she leaned into Scott's offered embrace.

Kitty cleared her throat. "Well … we could start by letting General Fury in."

"What?" Logan followed her gaze to the surveillance cameras. "You lot, stay here."

As the door slid shut behind him, Kitty shivered, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. Her gaze slid to her team-mates, but that didn't do much to keep her mind off the situation; they all looked terrified.

Kurt had an arm around Rogue's shoulders as her hand rubbed her stomach almost subconsciously. Counting up in her head, Kitty cursed under her breath, realising that her best friend was due in just over a week. _This couldn't have waited another few days?_

The door opened again, making them all jump a little.

"What kind of measures?!" Wolverine demanded, and they were sure he would have slammed the door if he'd been able.

Fury ignored the question. "Pull up a visual on the Sphinx." He barked, directing his order at Hank. "And can we get rid of the peanut gallery?"

Logan caught Kitty's arm as she moved to leave. "They're the team, Fury; they stay. Go ahead, Hank."

Reluctantly, Beast pressed a few buttons on the main computer, causing an image to pop up on the screen.

The team stared in horror as three very familiar robots flew steadily towards the fourth pyramid.

Logan rounded on Fury with what could only be described as a snarl. "You resurrected the Sentinel program?! You just made a bigger mess of this!"

"Not my choice to make." Fury insisted. "But their mutant sensors will target Apocalypse and they just happen to be our best defence right now."

"That's not true." Hank disagreed. "You have the X-Men."

"I said 'right now'." Fury reminded him. "I have no doubt that you have a plan, Wolverine, and I have no intention of getting in the way of that. This will buy you some time to set up and hopefully give you a head-start. If you pull up visuals of the other three locations …"

Now clearly interested, Hank did so, causing the screen to split into four.

"… you'll see that there are Sentinels at each of the pyramids." Fury turned his back on the monitors so he could address them. "They will break through the domes and make it easier to attack those pyramids. Now I have no doubt that Apocalypse will …"

"Hold on!" Rogue interrupted. "Something's happening. At the Sphinx."

The other three pictures vanished as the original enlarged again. One of the Sentinels had turned a strange colour and begun attacking the others.

Then the door to the ancient statue atop the pyramid opened and four figures appeared shrouded in darkness.

"My horsemen …" Apocalypse's voice boomed. "You are needed."

"Horsemen?" Jean repeated weakly. "As in war, famine, pestilence and death?"

"I damn well hope not." Scott frowned. "We've got enough to deal with as it … Oh God …" He trailed off in horror as the four figures stepped into the light and the team realised that they knew exactly who they were …

* * *

The New Mutants were in the rec room, trying to pretend this was a normal day.

Sam and Amara were engaged in a good-natured debate over whether Halloween was an American holiday or not.

Ray and Roberto were having a video game and, for once, not rowing about it.

Bobby was sitting on the couch, an arm around Jubilee's waist, her head tucked against his shoulder, as he gazed out of the window at the bleak weather outside.

Jamie was sitting on the floor at their feet, resting against their legs, but neither would make any move to dislodge him until they had to.

A sharp whistle came from behind them; a whistle that could only belong to one person. Drinks tumbled to the floor, games consoles fell out of hands and conversations dropped as the seven mutants jumped to their feet, spinning to face Shadowcat, standing almost to attention.

One look at Kitty's face and Jubilee closed her eyes, not needing to ask, just knowing what was about to happen. _It's time_.

"Impressive." Kitty commented, beginning to pace in front of them. "Alright, you lot, listen up. This is a crisis; a large crisis. In fact, if you've got a moment, this is a twelve-storey crisis, with a magnificent entrance hall, plush carpeting throughout and a giant neon sign on the roof that reads, "This is a large crisis." Professor Xavier and Storm flew out to Egypt this morning to see if they could talk Apocalypse out of killing everyone."

"Did it work?" Bobby asked.

Kitty stopped in front of him. "Which part of 'this is a large crisis' didn't you understand, Iceman: the 'this is' or the 'large crisis'? Of course it didn't work! They vanished in a flash of light just like Magneto. This is, as they say, it. Now, do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"You mean that wasn't the bad news?" Amara asked rhetorically. "Maybe you'd better give us the good news first."

"They're not dead." Kitty told them, provoking several relieved sighs. "Unfortunately – and this is bad news – the four of them …"

"Wait. Four?" Roberto interrupted. "Who are the other two?"

"Magneto and Mystique." Kitty answered.

"Magneto, I expected." Bobby admitted. "But I thought Mystique was dead."

"Apparently she's gotten better." Kitty said dryly. "The four of them are possessed by Apocalypse; their powers have been magnified and they've been sent to guard the four pyramids."

"Our job just got a lot harder." Amara observed.

"Yeah, and the odds a lot worse." Kitty agreed darkly. "SHIELD has bought us some time by sending the Sentinels out there …"

Ray snorted. "Lot of good that'll do against Magneto." He rolled his eyes at the looks he received in response. "You're all thinking it; I'm just saying it."

"We fly out tomorrow." Kitty told them, raising her voice slightly. "So you'd best get ready; I've got a job to do." She reached out and put a hand on Jubilee's arm. "Jean wants to talk to you."

"Where are you going?" Jamie asked, his arms suddenly around her waist.

Kitty smiled sadly, hugging him. "I'm going to get some help." She dropped a kiss on his forehead. "It'll be okay, Jamie."

_I hope._

* * *

Having broken into a run as soon as the gates of the Institute swung closed behind her, Kitty didn't bother slowing down as she approached the boarding house, phasing through the door and skidding to a halt in the middle of the living room. "LANCE, I NEED YOU!"

"Get a room." Tabby responded without missing a beat.

Unlike her team-mate, who was flipping through a magazine, Wanda had looked up at her entrance and was more concerned. "Kitty, why are you in uniform?"

It was too quiet, Kitty realised, and a scan around the living room told her that the girls were the only two in the house. "I never thought I'd say this, but please, _please _tell me that the boys are here."

Now, Tabby looked up. "No. Sara called; something about water leakage. She didn't want to get a plumber in and Eric's miles away. Pietro, Todd and Freddy tagged along. Why?"

Despite the adrenalin coursing through, fear was still very much in evidence and Kitty could feel her heart racing as her legs began to shake. "Oh, that's not good."

"Kitty?" Tabby dropped the magazine and hurried over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" Kitty repeated. "Am I okay? Of course I'm not fucking okay! It's the end of the world and everything's a hundred times worse than we expected it to be – and that's impressive considering how hard it is to _under_estimate that sort of thing – and we need all the help we can get and they're not here; how can you possibly expect me to …"

With a frustrated sigh, Tabby lifted a hand and slapped her hard. "Snap out of it!"

"Ow!" Kitty rubbed the side of her face. "Thanks. I needed that."

"You're welcome. Now …" Tabby grasped her shoulders. "Explain nice and slowly."

Kitty took a deep breath and turned her head to face the other Brotherhood member. "Wanda, your father's alive."

Wanda froze. "What?"

"So's Mystique." Kitty added. "And the Professor and Storm – they went out this morning; same thing happened to them. He's taken control of their minds and is using them to guard the four pyramids. We fly out tomorrow."

"Wait." Tabby shook her head. "I must have misheard you. Because if he's possessed them, he's magnified their powers, which means you're now dealing with the most powerful mutant in existence, plus the most powerful mutants of our time, with a side order of invulnerability. And I could have sworn that you said that you were flying out, implying that you're still going to fight."

"We are." Kitty whispered.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Tabby demanded. "How the hell do you expect to survive this?! It's suicide!"

"I know." Kitty responded, even quieter; the other two had to strain to hear her. "I don't expect to survive it."

"Well, the more people you have fighting, the higher the chances of survival." Wanda pointed out logically, catching her jacket as it floated down the stairs. "Right, Tabs?"

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you're coming?"

"Of course." Tabby took the coat Wanda handed her. "No one's ever accused us of doing the sensible thing. This life beat the shit out of us years ago; may as well go out with a bang."

* * *

_Tick … tick … tick … tick …_

Jubilee stared out of her window, unseeing of the scenery, barely registering the ticking of the clock or the tears streaming down her face

_Tick … tic k… tick …_

No amount of time would have prepared her for this.

Tomorrow morning, the rest of the team would fly out for the final battle against Apocalypse.

And she knew that very few, if any, would be flying back alive.

_Tick… tick … tick …_

A soft tapping at her door shook her from her thoughts and she tore her eyes away from the window. "Come in."

Bobby slipped through the door and closed it behind him. "Hey."

"Hey." Jubilee attempted a smile as he approached her, but it was feeble and half-hearted, tears still escaping her eyes.

"Jubes …" His arms wrapped around her, his fingers wiped away the salty droplets. "Baby, I hate it when you cry."

"I can't help it, Bobby." Jubilee sobbed. "This might be the last time I ever see you."

"Maybe." Bobby sighed. "Jubes, I can't promise you that I'll come back. None of us can promise that. But I can promise that I will never stop loving you. Nothing in this world or the next one could make me stop loving you." He tilted her face up to his and kissed her softly.

"I'm scared, Bobby." Jubilee whispered as they parted. "I know it's not fair for me to be scared, but … I can't imagine life without you."

"Promise me something." Bobby rested his forehead on hers. "If I die …"

"Bobby …"

"Hear me out." Bobby took a deep breath. "If I die, I want fireworks at my funeral."

Jubilee stared at him for a second. "Bobby, you know my powers don't work like that! For me to create fireworks like that, I need to have some kind of positive emotion in me! You're asking me to smile at your funeral!"

"Not exactly." Bobby sighed. "I just … I don't want my funeral to be depressing, Jubes; I want people to celebrate my life, not mourn my death. Please try? For me?"

Jubilee took a shaky breath. "Alright. I'll try. But I can't make any promises."

Bobby kissed her forehead. "What did Jean want?"

"She …" Jubilee swallowed hard. "She took me down to the mainframe … you didn't tell me you made a Will."

"We all have." Bobby ran a hand through her hair. "None of us really have anything to leave, but …"

"No one wants to be kept on life support." Jubilee commented, trying to make light of it. "You all seem to want me to walk around switching you off." She closed her eyes, willing the tears not to fall. "I'm gonna need to find a nice black dress … all those funerals …"

Bobby tightened his arms around her. "Don't think like that. We've still got tonight." He cupped her face and tilted it up to cover her lips with his, pulling back just enough to whisper, "We'll always have tonight."

* * *

The following morning, four helijets sat on the front lawn of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, piloted by soldiers who had seen their fair share of fighting, but nothing like the things these teenagers were about face.

Though they'd never admit it, all four were offering up silent prayers for their passengers, bargaining with a higher power that they'd return safely.

The entire team was assembled on the front steps, all in uniform except Jubilee. Spyke had briefly left the Morlocks, Alex and Warren had been contacted and arrived in Bayville early that morning, and Jean had managed to track down Colossus in Denver, searching hospitals a little closer to home for his sister.

The group was subdued, for obvious reasons, and more than a few tears were being shed.

Leaving Scott's side, Jean hugged Kitty tightly. "Be careful."

"I will." Kitty pulled away and put a hand on her stomach, bending to address the bump. "Now you be good in there for Mommy and don't come out until Auntie Kitty's there." Straightening again, she turned to Rogue. "That goes for you as well." Choking back tears, she flung her arms around her room-mate, holding her tightly. "You're the closest thing I ever had to a sister, Rogue."

"Anna." Rogue corrected, hugging her. "Same here." She looked over at Jean. "Last chance, Red. You coming with me to find Dorian?"

Jean shook her head. "I can't. They need me."

Rogue nodded, releasing Kitty, and the two expectant mothers embraced. Kitty moved away, intercepting Jamie as he ran over to her.

"I'm scared." He whispered.

"I know, sweetie." Kitty knelt in front of him, looking up into his face, and her heart constricted, remembering finding the young boy slumped on the side of the road a few weeks after the battle on Asteroid M and bringing him home to learn that he had been beaten and dumped by his parents of all people because of his powers.

He had quickly 'adopted' her as his older sister, but her protectiveness went further than that; in fact Rogue had once likened her to a mother bear after he was targeted by bullies at school.

"You don't have to do this." She reminded him. "You can stay here with Jubilee."

Jamie shook his head. "No. I do have to do this. If you can all do this, so can I."

Kitty smiled fondly and kissed his forehead. "I'm proud of you, Jamie."

Jamie hugged her. "I love you, Kitty. You're the best big sister ever."

"Love you too, kid." Kitty whispered, her tears beginning to fall.

Her eyes moved to the gates, willing a car to appear, but she knew it was no good. She knew Sara had no idea of what was coming; a storm in the area had taken down the phone lines as well as cut off cell phone reception. _Sod's law._

"I don't want you to go." Jubilee whispered, wrapped in Bobby's arms.

"I know." Bobby kissed her forehead. "I promise I'll be carefully."

Jubilee lifted her head to meet his desperate kiss.

"Iceman!" Beast called.

Reluctantly, they parted and Bobby cupped her face. "Remember last night and that I love you. Always."

"I love you." Jubilee didn't bother hiding her tears as she watched Bobby take a deep breath, square his shoulders and follow Spyke, Beast and Berserker onto the plane headed for China.

"Jean!" Logan prompted.

Kissing Scott one last time, Jean held him tightly for a few seconds, whispering something in his ear, before gently pulling Jamie away from Kitty and ushering him ahead of her on to the jet. "Amara, Tabitha."

Tabby hugged Wanda. "Go kick your dad's butt, Scarlet."

Wanda gave her a watery smirk. "Oh, don't worry."

Amara hugged Jubilee. "When John gets home, tell him that I love him."

"I will." Jubilee assured her, accepting Tabby's hug as well. "Be careful."

"Aren't we always?" Tabby grinned weakly, slipping her arm through Amara's. "See you later, Firecracker."

Jubilee raised a weak hand in farewell. To her surprise, Colossus stopped by her as well. "I am hoping John returns with my sister." He told her in broken English. "Will you tell her I never stopped looking for her?"

Jubilee smiled comfortingly. "Of course. We'll look after her, don't worry."

"Thank you." He followed the two girls on to one of the helijets heading for Egypt; the hatch closed and it rose into the air, following its China-bound leader.

"Right, Mexico's closest, Shadowcat; you'll take off last." Logan instructed gruffly.

Kitty nodded, hugging him tightly around the waist. "Be careful."

For a second, he didn't respond, then his arms closed around her. "Just worry about yourself, Half Pint." He released her and waved Sam over. "You know what you have to do. You keep her safe."

"I will, sir." Sam assured him quietly, before approaching the helijet and offering Rogue a hand in, which she took.

Scott approached Kitty and hugged her as well, repeating the words that had been repeated all over the mansion that morning. "Be careful."

Kitty nodded wordlessly, before turning into Kurt's offered hug as well. Out of the first team, barring Scott and Jean for obvious reasons, the two had the strongest bond, probably, as Kurt liked to joke, because they'd had to put up with the aforementioned couple the longest. "You'd better survive this." She muttered. "Or you'll break Amanda's heart and I'll resurrect you and kill you again."

Kurt sniggered. "Thanks for that, _Katzen._"

"And I'm sorry for acting so bitchy when we first met." Kitty added as an afterthought, pulling away. "I had a lot going on."

"Don't worry about it." Kurt shrugged. "I've had worse."

Kitty nodded, stepping back as Scott hugged his brother and he and Kurt boarded the jet.

Logan approached Jubilee. "Alright. For the next week, you're in charge. The kitchen's fully stocked, you shouldn't have any problem there. You'll need to ready the infirmary and have it on hold; if we lose, you stay here. Increase the security and button down the hatches, it's your best shot."

"You're not going to lose." Jubilee stated firmly. "We can't lose."

Logan grinned at her. "Atta girl. The media's picked up on this by now; they know the risks. If they call, you say …"

"No comment." Jubilee recited.

"Exactly." Logan patted her on the shoulder and jumped into the jet a second before it too took off.

"Alright." Kitty took a deep breath, hugging Jubilee. "I guess this is it. Everyone in."

Roberto ruffled Jubilee's hair and jogged over to the helijet, helping Kitty and Wanda in before climbing in himself. Alex and Warren followed them and the hatch closed.

"Anyone else realised that we giving Magneto extra ammo just by landing in Mexico?" Alex asked conversationally.

"Yes." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Believe it or not, we have."

"You okay?" Wanda asked quietly.

"I just wish I could have said goodbye." Kitty whispered.

Wanda didn't bother asking who. "Well, you could phone the Boarding House and leave a message there."

"Best we can do, I suppose." Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, Kitty dialled the familiar number, no longer laughing at the message on their machine.

"_Hi, you've reached the Brotherhood Boarding House. If you're a mutant hater, want to arrest us, or just generally want to complain about us, then you can get the hell off this line. Otherwise, please leave a message and we'll try to get back to you."_

"Hey, it's me." Kitty took a deep breath. "You're in Philadelphia and cell phone reception's been cut off … but I guess you know that. It's … It's time. Jubilee's still at the mansion; she can answer any questions you have. We …" She swallowed, fighting desperately to keep her composure. "We're not coming back. This is it."

Seeing her struggle, Wanda gently took the phone from her. "Hi guys. Yes, Tabby and I are with them. She's in another jet, but I know I speak for both of us when I say that we do love you. All of you. No matter how many times she's blown you up or I've hexed you into walls. Yes, Pietro, that goes for you too. Lance, make sure he doesn't repeat any of this at my funeral." She glanced at Kitty. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Kitty took the phone back. "No matter what's been said and done in the past, we're all gonna miss you lot. Well, Scott might not, but the rest of us will. It'll … It'll probably be too late by the time you get this message, so … I guess this is goodbye." Tears began falling again, but this time she didn't try to stop them. "I love you, Lance. Look after the others for us; God knows they need it. We … We gotta go." She ended the call and tucked her phone away, taking the tissue that Warren offered her.

"Well, that was a joyful conversation." Roberto commented sarcastically.

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up."

Kitty's radio crackled into life. _"Ready teams?"_

"_Team China in position." _Beast's voice confirmed.

"_Team Egypt in position." _Jean continued.

Kitty stood up and phased her head through into the cockpit to check their location. To his credit, the pilot didn't flinch. "Team Mexico in position."

Her four fellows stood as the hatch slid opened and the helijet hovered above the Mexican desert. Kitty joined them as Wolverine's voice came from the radio once more.

"_Alright, teams, this is it. Everything you've ever learnt about yourselves; your strengths, your weaknesses and your limits … it all comes down to this moment. We're the world's last, best hope to stop this madman. So we're gonna trash these pyramids any way we can … no matter who we've gotta go through to do it."_

"Good luck, everyone." Kitty murmured, seeing Magneto floating in front of the now dome-less pyramid, surrounded by the remnants of three Sentinels.

But even as they jumped from the jet, charging into battle, she knew that luck had very little to do with it.

**

* * *

AN: Okay, before I forget, Kitty's crisis analogy didn't come from me; it came straight from the finale of Blackadder Goes Forth. Now the next few chapters will be very close to the series finale, but I want to keep them in because some things will change; I shall try not to bore you too much :) Please review!**


	26. The End of the World I

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution. Anything you recognise comes from the show.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Six – The End of the World I

**October 1998: Day One**

**Egypt**

For obvious reasons, the team at the Egyptian pyramid had one of the hardest jobs and, before the fight could begin, Jean flew up to where Xavier was sitting and tried to reason with him telepathically.

_Professor, listen to me! Apocalypse has somehow taken control of your mind. He's making you go against everything you believe in; everything you've devoted your life to! You will be destroying millions of lives!_

Xavier turned to face her, but his only response was to send a psychic bolt at her that knocked her out of the sky.

She managed to form a telekinetic blanket that caught her just in time, setting her down on her feet. "Spread out!" She called to the others.

As the other three scattered, Magma caught Jean's nod and powered up, slamming her fists into the ground to form a crevice that sent several jets of lava to shoot up from the earth, one directly under the Sentinel head Xavier was perched on, but he flew into the air to avoid it.

Scowling, Boom-Boom formed a bomb larger than anything she'd every created and handed it to Colossus. "Here, Tin-Grin; shot-put this wrecking ball up to that guy."

The projectile hit its mark, but had very little effect.

* * *

**China**

Like Jean, Spyke was also trying to reason with their adversary, even as she sent bolts of lightning down at them. "Auntie O, please just let us help you!"

His aunt, of course, completely ignored his pleas and created a storm of hailstones as big as boulders that rained down on them, forcing Beast to tackle Spyke out of the way as Iceman created a shield above them, protecting them from the tumbling projectiles, even if temporarily.

Berserker stayed outside, sending streams of lightning up at their possessed teacher. It was a direct hit, but didn't seem to do anything, because she retaliated immediately, forcing him to dodge before sending up another jolt.

This time, it met hers in mid-air, crackling with energy amidst the rain and hail-stones, and Ray was forced to break contact and dive under the ice shield.

"Don't hurt her!" Evan called to the others. "She's a victim in this, just like we are!"

Bobby flinched as the shield began to crack under the storm above them. "Anyone wanna try telling her that?"

* * *

**Mexico**

Somewhat unbelievably, Wanda was attempting an initial peace negotiation. "Father, come on; you don't want to do this!"

Magneto didn't react, except to lift the hands of the fallen Sentinels and slam them down towards his daughter.

Anticipating this, Kitty dived forwards, grabbing Wanda's arm and phasing them both through the debris.

"Wanda, that's not your father." Kitty reminded her, wasting no time in wondering why she cared in the first place, given what he did to her. "At least, not anymore."

Sentinel parts rose from the ground and reformed in mid-air to create a kind of Zombie-Sentinel under Magneto's control that loomed above them threateningly.

Every single strategy Kitty had considered was mentally torn up and thrown in the trash as the team backed away hastily, minds racing.

* * *

**New York**

To say that Jubilee was scared would be an understatement.

Her state of mind wasn't helped by the fact that the mansion was silent, empty of the life and laughter that made it such a great place to live.

The only sound was the soft hum of the security measures and the occasional ring of the telephone. Jubilee was half-tempted to change the answering machine message to 'No comment', but she knew that there was a chance that parents would be trying to get hold of their children as soon as the news broke.

Thankfully, all her team-mates had left the numbers for friends and loved ones and Caller ID was coming in very useful, but she really didn't want to take these calls either.

But she had to and it was Amanda's number that now blinked up at her; Jubilee's hand hovered over the phone for a few seconds before answering. "Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters; Jubilee speaking."

Her response was uniform and professional, not to mention unnecessary, but she knew that Kurt hadn't told his girlfriend what was going on the night before when he managed to see her.

"_Hey, it's Amanda. I just saw the news; can I talk to Kurt please?"_

Jubilee sighed. "I'm afraid Kurt's in Egypt, Amanda."

"_Oh God … I thought he was acting strange last night! They're gonna be okay, right?"_

"I … I don't know." Jubilee admitted, her voice breaking slightly. "I'm sorry. You're welcome to wait it out here with me." She made the offer without thinking about it, before suddenly realising that the other girl would probably be within the 97% of humanity who was killed.

"_My parents would never let me get away with that."_ Amanda responded shakily, much to her relief. _"Can you ask Kurt to call me when he gets back?"_

"Of course." Jubilee whispered, hanging up before the other girl heard her cry.

Unfortunately, that was the easiest call to take; minutes later, the extent of the media coverage was made apparent and calls from parents were flooding in, demanding to know the risk to their children and why they hadn't been told.

Luckily, Jubilee had been prepped in this answer too and told them all the same thing. "It was left to your children to notify you; they made an informed decision to use their gifts in an attempt to stop this madman before he kills you all." Then, with a weary sigh, "Look sir/ma'am, I'm just the messenger, I wish I was out there myself; this is killing me."

After the last call, she decided to switch the TV on to see what had prompted the flood of call and what she saw stunned her.

For the first time, news stations the world over were working together to deliver a story. They had somehow managed to get reporters and cameramen to the four pyramids (although those at the Sphinx had the sense to stay outside) and the only thing on TV, no matter what channel, was live coverage of the battle. _Anything for a story, I suppose. Do they not know what danger they're in?!_

Reluctantly, Jubilee decided to leave it on, knowing that she'd never work up the courage to turn it back on if she turned it off.

Desperate to but unable to tear her eyes from the screen, Jubilee eventually slipped into a fitful sleep on the couch, plagued by the images of her loved ones dying in horrible and painful ways.

Finally, thankfully, she was pulled from those images and opened her eyes to see that the battles had been raging through the night and it was now morning.

She was more exhausted now than she had been when she fell asleep.

It was a few minutes before she realised what had woken her, but as she shook off the veil of sleep, she heard it; a soft sound unrelated to the TV or the ringing in her ears left over from her restless slumber.

Locating the source of the buzzing, Jubilee stifled a yawn, reached out and pressed the intercom button, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to tame it. "Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters; how can I help?"

"_Jubes, it's me."_

The sound was awful and it had been over a year, but Jubilee recognised her former room-mate's voice immediately. "Come in." Abandoning her hair, she raced out the front door and down the drive. Half-way to the main gates, she skidded to a halt, intercepting the loping wolf that leapt up to meet her.

A second later, the wolf shifted into a girl and Rahne hugged her tightly. "I just heard on the way here!"

Jubilee returned the embrace just as tightly, not responding to her unasked question; her eyes were fixed on the group of people approaching the gates.

Picking up their scents on the wind, Rahne released her and turned to face them as well, looking a little confused.

It was a strange group; two men, one leading a little girl by the hand, with a blonde woman following them, looking a little apprehensive.

But it was the men Jubilee focused on. "Well, well, well. Aren't you two a sight for sore eyes?"

Remy grinned at her. "Miss us?"

* * *

**October 1998: Day Two**

**Sphinx**

In the depths of the ancient statue, Wolverine and Cyclops crept down a dark staircase, followed by Nightcrawler, who leapt from wall to wall, making good use of his mutation.

At the bottom, Wolverine signalled to the others to wait, leaping into the next room, claws at the ready, but, still, no attack came.

The absence of Mystique was, for once, bringing concern as opposed to relief.

"Can you sense her?" Scott whispered.

"No." Logan admitted. "I had trouble after her first 'evolution'. Apocalypse has amplified her powers; she could be standing right next to us and I wouldn't know."

The whole pyramid shuddered ominously and Kurt peered down at a rippling puddle of water at his feet. "Whoa. Feel that? Something big just powered up in this place."

Before his companions could respond or speculate, the puddle reared up, shifting into Mystique, who grabbed Kurt's arm and hurled him into Wolverine, sending them both crashing back into a pillar, which collapsed as Scott sent an optic blast straight through her.

To their horror, the hole reformed and she transformed into a flock of bats, which swooped down upon them.

Kurt teleported out of the way as Wolverine struck out aimlessly with his claws.

"Get down!" Scott warned, reaching for his visor.

Logan dropped to the floor, pulling Kurt down with him as he reappeared. Scott sent a continuous blast around the room, desperately trying to hit the scattering rodents.

In the control room, deep within the centre of the pyramid, Apocalypse let nothing deter him, not even the distant rumbling of Scott's attempts to stop Mystique.

He waved his arm across a panel, making it light up to show holographic images of the other three pyramids. One by one, the very tops began glowing.

* * *

**New York**

Jubilee shrugged, giving him a hug. "It was very … quiet without you."

"That didn't answer the question, short-stuff." John pointed out, leaning down to hug her too.

"Don't call me that." Jubilee chided. "And I know." She knelt down to address the child now clinging to John's pant leg. "Hi. You must be Illyana, right?"

The little girl nodded shyly.

"It's okay." Jubilee soothed, opening her arms to her. The child tentatively toddled into them and she straightened up, balancing the girl on her hip. "Better. So is this a coincidence or did you two plan this?"

"Coincidence." Remy gestured to the woman behind him. "This is Belladonna Boudreaux."

"Right. Hi." Jubilee shook her hand, remembering Rogue's explanation for where Remy had gone. "Everything sorted then?"

"_Oui_. Where is everyone?" Remy asked with a frown.

Jubilee bit her lip glancing at Rahne. "You know?"

"Like I said, I heard about it at the airport." Rahne nodded. "What exactly is going on?"

Jubilee sighed. "We need hot cocoa. Come on." She turned and led the way back up to the house, her worry returning as fast as it had vanished.

Belladonna hurried to catch up with her. "I'm not mutant." She told her in an undertone. "But I don't exactly … is there any chance of a room?"

"We've got plenty of rooms." Jubilee smiled weakly. "I'm the only one here and Professor Xavier is currently possessed and working for a psychopathic madman who's trying to wipe humanity from the face of the earth. So by the temporary power invested in me by Wolverine, I say you can stay here. At least until they get back." _Or Apocalypse kills you. _She added silently. "I don't suppose you have any medical training, do you?"

"Yeah, I trained as a doctor." Belladonna nodded. "I never graduated med school, but it's enough. Why?"

"Because we're gonna need one." Jubilee stated grimly. _I hope._

"Wait, wait." Remy jogged up to them. "Xavier's what?!"

"Possessed." Jubilee repeated. "It's a long story …" She shifted Illyana so she was looking over her shoulder rather than in the direction of the TV when they reached the living room and explained the four horsemen and the formation of the teams.

"They're gonna be okay, right?" John whispered, staring at the screen, which was currently showing the team in Egypt.

A psychic blast knocked Amara back off her feet and he sucked in a breath, as Rahne patted his arm comfortingly.

"Jean looks different." She commented. "She's … Bloody hell, is she pregnant?!"

Jubilee nodded. "Seven months. Insisted on going out there."

"Idiot." Rahne muttered under her breath.

"And watch you language around the children." Jubilee added, taking Illyana into the kitchen to make them something to drink. "Do you like hot cocoa, Illyana?"

The little girl nodded again.

Pulling a saucepan from the cupboard – she knew there were some instant packets somewhere, but they needed the real stuff right now – Jubilee set about making it, observing the child out of the corner of her eye.

If she hadn't known, she would never have guessed that the large and bulky Colossus was related to this girl, tiny even for four. But she supposed that the results of his mutation and her illness were accountable for that.

She sat perfectly still on the chair Jubilee sat her in, pale blue eyes watching her every move.

"Aren't you curious to know why I'm back?" Rahne asked, wandering in after them.

"I assumed it had something to do with Apocalypse, but apparently not." Jubilee didn't turn to face her, concentrating on what she was doing.

"My Aunt Moira talked my parents into it." Rahne explained. "Said that I obviously missed you all and then spouted off something about my mutation making my brain more like a wolf's than a human's so you were my 'pack' as well as my friends." She smiled. "I didn't know she knew so much."

"Wait." Jubilee narrowed her eyes, remembering a late-night conversation with Professor Xavier when she'd gone down for a glass of water and found him gazing pensively into the fire. "Professor Xavier said … if anything happened to him to contact an old colleague of his … Moira McTaggart. It's not a very common name; I don't suppose …"

"That's her!" Rahne looked stunned. "She never told me she was mutant."

"I don't think she is." Jubilee told her. "I think they just worked together on biochemistry."

Remy chose that moment to join them, looking worried. "Did something happen t' Anna?"

Now Jubilee turned. "Do we have an Anna?"

"Rogue." Remy collapsed. "She's not there."

"Ah." Jubilee pulled a face. "Well, I'm not entirely sure of the plan, but she's our last line of defence. Probably for the best in her condition."

"She's pregnant too?!" Rahne shook her head. "How much did I miss? When did you get back anyway?"

"A year ago." Jubilee answered. "Bobby …"

"Whoa, whoa." Remy stopped them. "She's pregnant? When …?"

"Next week." Jubilee smiled sadly at the fear that replaced the worry in his eyes. "Don't worry. There's a good chance she won't even be needed and will sit the whole thing out."

"And if she doesn't?" Remy questioned.

Jubilee swallowed the tears that threatened her. "Then you'd better start praying. We need a miracle."

* * *

**Mexico**

Just as Apocalypse had commanded, the top of the pyramid began glowing. This went unnoticed by the team on the ground, however, as the claw of one of the Sentinels shot towards Wanda.

Its path was interrupted by Roberto, who, glowing with solar energy, leapt between them catching it and hurling it back at Magneto who dodged it easily.

"Wanda, you're going to have to forget he's your father!" Kitty called to her, wondering what happened to the girl who had only death in her heart when dealing with him. "Or we're going to lose this, and we can't …" Her warning was cut short prematurely, when a piece of debris flew into her, knocking her unconscious.

With a glare at her father, Wanda lifted her hands and sent a hex bolt towards him, disabling his powers and causing the Zombie-Sentinel to collapse back into scrap metal.

"Couldn't you have done that earlier?" Alex muttered, with no real anger.

Wincing at the pain in her head, Kitty came around and looked up just in time to see the glowing part of the pyramid detach itself from the rest and take off into space. "Oh no … what's happening?"

* * *

**China**

"What's going on?" Evan demanded, unknowingly echoing his former team-mate as they watched theirs head into orbit as well.

"My guess is he has to have the pyramids in a higher atmosphere in order to affect the entire planet." Hank answered grimly.

**

* * *

**

**Egypt**

Jean lifted herself up off the ground, a hand automatically moving protectively to her stomach, as she stared upwards. "No … NO!" She backed up to rejoin the rest of her team. "We're too late!"

* * *

**New York**

"That's it, isn't it?" John asked numbly, staring at the TV.

At his curse and Belladonna's gasp of horror, the others had run back into the living room to see the new development.

"They've lost." Rahne whispered.

Jubilee closed her eyes, a tear escaping them. For a moment, she had let herself believe that …

A crackle broke the tense silence. _"SHIELD to Institute. Do you read? Over."_

Grabbing the radio on the coffee table, Jubilee switched it on. "Loud and clear. Over."

"_Do not lose hope."_ The voice stated clearly. _"Our last three Sentinels are pursuing the pyramids. Over."_

"Got it. Over and out." Jubilee hung up. "Well, it looks like it's not over until the fat lady sings."

"I never understood that saying." John pulled a face.

"I think it's something to do with opera." Jubilee stared at the phone. "If that's a reporter, I might just strangle them."

"I don't recognise the number." Remy told her. "Should I answer anyway?"

"Knock yourself out." Jubilee sighed. "Just remember – no comment."

Remy smiled weakly and picked up the receiver. "Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters; Gambit speaking. Just a second, ma'am." He covered it. "I think you'd better take this one, _petite_."

Jubilee rolled her eyes and took the phone. "Jubilee speaking."

"_Are you the principal?" _A female voice asked sceptically.

"No, ma'am; I'm the most senior team member available." Jubilee answered. "How can I help?"

"_My name is Marion Roberts; I'm the manager of Forestgate Children's Home in Connecticut. I'd like to talk to you about taking a new student."_

"Just a second, ma'am." Jubilee gestured for a pen and paper. "What's her name?"

"_Lorna Dane. She's eighteen years old."_

"Okay." Jubilee jotted the information down. "How long has she been displaying these gifts and what are they?"

"_Well, I'm not sure how to describe them." _Ms. Roberts admitted. _"She's had them for as long as I can remember. Every single one of her foster parents has reported things from bent silverware to computers and televisions not working."_

"Hmm." Jubilee tapped her pen against the table-leg thoughtfully. "Magnetic fields. Interesting." She showed the dates to Remy and John.

"Professor must have assumed it was Magsy." John commented quietly.

Jubilee nodded to let him know that was her thought as well. "Okay, well, the rest of the team are … indisposed, so we'll fly out and talk to her; see what she thinks about attending."

_Even if it just gets her somewhere safe for the fall-out._

"We'll be there tomorrow." Jubilee told her, willing the dark thoughts to stay away. "If not sooner. Goodbye, ma'am."

"_Thank you. Goodbye."_

There was a click and a dialling tone and Jubilee replaced the handset.

"Well, that was enlightening." Rahne remarked. "Think she's related to Magneto?"

"Doubtful." Jubilee frowned at the information in front of her. "But it's possible, I suppose. Eighteen … I'm surprised she's still there."

"You don't get kicked out of children's homes until you're nineteen." John told her. "She's got time.

Jubilee nodded vaguely. "Should we take the _Blackbird_?"

"I don't know." Rahne looked concerned. "All it would take is for her to freak out and we'd be stranded there; that's the last thing we need."

"You're right." Jubilee decided. "We'll take the _Velocity_. It's only a bit harder to fly. You two … three …" she amended, glancing at Belladonna "… stay here with Illyana; we'll go and prep the jet."

"Hang on." Remy called, stopping them. "If both jets are here, how did Xavier and Stormy get t' Egypt in the first place?"

"They took the X-277 _Blackbird_." Jubilee explained. "The old one. This one is the X-278; twice as fast and with five times the fire-power."

"Oh." Remy nodded. "As you were then."

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Just try not to blow the house up while we're gone."

"Jubilee." John put a hand on his heart, looking wounded. "I'm hurt. It's us."

"Good point." Jubilee turned to Belladonna. "Don't take your eyes off them."

* * *

**China**

As Storm flew down in front of the pyramid, she was hit by one of Iceman's beams, which encased her in ice, causing her to fall to the ground.

While Evan ran over to check on her, Beast and Bobby approached the pyramid to get a closer look.

A constant beam of light shot upwards from the top, presumably to where the remainder of the structure hung suspended in space.

Now convinced, Hank turned on his communicator. "Listen, it's not over! Those pyramids in the sky are probably orbital relays; just destroy the base units that power them!"

"_Understood."_

"_Got it."_

Leaving his aunt's side, Evan sprinted over and flung flaming spikes at the pyramid. At that moment, however, their bought time ran out; Storm broke free from her prison with a bolt of lightning and flew into the air accompanied by a fierce wind and even more lightning that shot from her mouth and eyes as well as her hands.

* * *

**Mexico**

Still charged up, Sunspot sprinted towards the Zombie-Sentinel and leapt through it, taking a piece with him, which he hurled back at it.

This time, Magneto caught it in mid-air and sent it back down to earth; it hit Roberto and he fell to the ground, his solar power disappearing as he was knocked out.

Wanda began throwing hex bolts up at her father, careful to avoid Angel, who was flying around him, both trying to distract him from what was happening behind him.

Kitty phased out of the ground, pulling Alex with her. "Now!"

Turning, Alex blasted the pyramid with his solar rays. Even as the beam weakened, he felt drained, but it wasn't that which caused him to break contact.

It was the scream.

He spun around and swore loudly, seeing that the arm of one of the other Sentinels had been flung towards them, catching Shadowcat off guard. She lay trapped under it, out cold, a small pool of blood seeping out from beneath it.

**

* * *

AN: Review please!**


	27. The End of the World II

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Seven – The End of the World II

**October 1998: Day Three**

**Connecticut**

There are some things that will undoubtedly attract attention and a jet flying low overhead to come to hover above a children's home is one of them.

As nearby residents left their houses and several children leaned out of window, open-mouthed at the sight, the two pilots were oblivious to the interest.

"Why aren't we landing?" Rahne asked. "There's a nice playing field below us that should do."

"We can't yet." Jubilee muttered absently, holding the jet steady with one hand and searching the radio frequencies with the other, trying to find the home's PA system.

Suddenly, a woman's voice entered the jet and she recognised it from the phone call. _"… put a live frog in my tea this morning is expected to …"_

"That's the one." Jubilee flicked a switch. "Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Roberts, but this is Jubilee from the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters; we need your permission to land."

"_Permission to land what?"_

"The _Velocity_." Jubilee answered. "Our jet."

"_Oh. Very well; you have our permission to land."_

"Thank you." Jubilee cut out of the frequency and shut off the engines so the jet dropped the last few feet onto the field.

"Bumpy landing." Rahne commented. "Donnae do that again."

"Sorry." Jubilee smiled sheepishly and undid her seatbelt. "C'mon."

When the hatch opened, they were met by a small crowd of children and residents, but paid them no attention, unwilling to get drawn into a conversation about the current situation. Instead they locked the jet and made their way to the building, pretending not to notice the spectators parting like the Red Sea.

Marion Roberts turned out to be exactly how Jubilee had pictured her; a greying woman in her fifties, who looked, and sounded, exhausted.

Judging by her look of surprise, they weren't who she had expected at all; then again, they both looked normal for mutants and were wearing spandex uniforms.

Neither party commented on these observations and Ms. Roberts led them through the premises, explaining Lorna's past. "We got her when she was four; one of our staff found her on the doorstep when they arrived for work in the morning. She told us her name, but couldn't tell us anything about her parents or where she lived. As far as I can tell, they abandoned her here, probably because of the colour her hair was turning, but there was no way of tracking them."

"You mentioned foster parents." Jubilee prompted.

Ms. Roberts nodded. "She was a delightful child; well-mannered, intelligent … everyone who saw past her appearance loved her, so she was fostered several times, but … things happened."

"And I'm guessing the parents thought that they were cursed or she was cursed or it wasn't safe to have her there …" Rahne trailed off, seeing her nod.

"She's given up on ever finding a family." Ms. Roberts sighed. "Plus she didn't get accepted into the local college, which is a shame, because she's a clever girl. It wasn't until I saw the news the other day that I even thought about calling you, but I'm so worried about her." She stopped outside one of the doors and knocked sharply. "Lorna, you have a visitor."

There was no response.

"Just go in." Ms. Roberts advised. "I'll be in my office."

Tentatively, Jubilee pushed the door open. Disparate to the rest of the house, which was messy and chaotic, this room was neat and tidy.

A girl their age sat on the window seat, gazing out of the window, which, in contrast to the other side of the house, looked out upon row upon row of houses. Next to the bed was a desk, which was swamped in pieces of paper that were covered in sketches of clothes and dresses.

Unlike Rahne and Jubilee, Lorna had a very obvious physical mutation; her hair was a stunning jade green colour, streaked with black. She still hadn't turned to face them.

"Hi." Jubilee greeted. "I'm Jubilee; this is Rahne. We're like you."

Now Lorna's head turned. "I doubt that." Her voice was flat and toneless, not intentionally rude, but filled with the memories of being abandoned so many times.

"Nae, we can't move metal." Rahne agreed. "But we are mutant. Just like you."

Lorna sat up straight, clearly interested. "Mutant? You mean there's a reason behind what I do?"

"Oh yeah." Jubilee nodded. "I'm not the expert, but there are loads of us about. Watch." She held out her hand and concentrated, causing sparks, then pops, then a miniature fireworks display appeared, dancing above her hand.

"Wow …" Lorna breathed.

Rahne rolled her eyes. "Show off. You aren't scared of dogs, are you?"

Lorna shook her head. "No. Why?"

Rahne disappeared from Jubilee's side and a reddish-brown wolf trotted over to Lorna's side, sniffing her hand a few times just to get her scent. Then she sat down, cocking her head at her team-mate.

"You act too canine sometimes." Jubilee commented, scratching her head as she took the seat next to Lorna, bracing herself against the wall. "We're from the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters; you heard of it?"

Lorna shook her head again. "No."

"Okay." Jubilee took a deep breath. "First off, have you been watching the news."

"No." Lorna smirked. "Ms. Roberts won't let anyone here watch the news; thinks it might give us ideas."

"Well then," Jubilee took a deep breath. "This could take a while."

It took fifteen minutes to explain what the Institute was, who the X-Men were and all about the Brotherhood, the Acolytes, Apocalypse and what they were doing.

When they'd finished, Lorna let out a low whistle. "Talk about your superheroes. So what are you doing here?"

"Ms. Roberts called us." Jubilee admitted. "Thought we might be able to help. Obviously Professor Xavier will make the final decision …" she reached out and tapped the wooden nightstand "… but if they lose, it won't be safe for you; since we have an extensive security system, I made the executive decision to come here and offer you a place now."

"Why won't it be safe if they lose?" Lorna asked.

"Well, that's more an assumption than anything else." Rahne explained. "Like we said, just under 3% of the human population will survive, so there's a good chance they'll come after us."

"Guilty by association." Jubilee added. "So what do you think?"

Lorna grinned at her. "I think it's the best idea I've heard in a long time."

So within a couple of hours, the Velocity was taxiing to a halt in the hangar. As they exited, the walls shivered slightly and Lorna looked confused. "I thought I could feel my … powers. Why wasn't the jet affected?"

"Remember Magneto?" Jubilee asked. "He has similar powers. The _Velocity_ is made purely from non-metallic substances so …" She trailed off looking distracted.

"So he can't use it against us." Rahne finished. "Obviously, this is the hanger. It's part of the lower Institute. The main house is where the school is; down here are things like Cerebro, the mainframe, the Danger Room, the infirmary …" Now she trailed off as well. "Jubes, what is it?"

Jubilee shook her head with a frown. "Where's the _Blackbird_?"

* * *

**Egypt**

Xavier was under fire; an entire army of Multiple-clones was using sling-shots to fire Tabby's bombs up at him, doing little damage, but distracting him long enough for Colossus to break through and begin pounding on the base of the pyramid.

Shooting a mental bolt through the army, knocking them and Tabitha off their feet, Xavier turned and blasted Colossus in the back; the metal mutant continued to weakly hit the stone a few more times before collapsing.

Amara knew that Jean was formulating a new plan and that she needed just a little bit more extra time, so attempted to buy her some by forming a ball of fire and tossing it up at him, but he deflected it and knocked her out as well.

But it was all the time Jean needed to fasten the Cerebro helmet on, flying out of the jet to confront her mentor. It was risky, she knew, but linking with the computer would help her even the odds and possibly even give her the advantage.

The two of them faced off in mid-air. Xavier created a psychic projection of himself with scythes for arms, which leapt at her; Jean created her own projection as a shield and the mind-battle began.

* * *

**Sphinx**

Still pursued by the bats/Mystique, Wolverine, Cyclops and Nightcrawler sprinted through the corridors searching for an escape.

Finally giving up on that idea, Kurt grabbed his two team-mates and teleported them behind the next door.

"We're running out of time." Scott warned.

Logan sniffed the air. "Nightcrawler, scout the other side."

"Be right back." Kurt disappeared, leaving behind a smoggy cloud.

Scott and Logan approached the door opposite them, but Kurt didn't reappear. They waited, minutes seeming to stretch into hours, time they didn't have.

"Come on; where are ya?" Logan growled, more out of worry than impatience.

There was no response as, unbeknownst to either man, Kurt lay unconscious on the control room floor while Apocalypse went back to his business.

In the outer chamber, Wolverine gave up on waiting. "Cyclops, blow the doors!"

The command had barely left his mouth when a cry caused him to spin around in time to see Scott fall to the floor as Mystique morphed her arms into two blades and took a swing at him.

* * *

**Mexico**

A huge holographic image on Apocalypse's head appeared above the pyramid. _"Magneto!"_

Somehow instinctively know what he meant, Magneto took off, soaring into space to deal with the Sentinels up there, leaving behind five unconscious mutants.

Wanda was the first to come around, pushing herself to her feet with a groan. As her mind cleared, she looked around, realising the absence of any adversary. "Huh? Guys, he's gone! This is our chance!"

She got no response.

Steadying herself, Wanda scanned her surroundings, seeing that Kitty was still trapped below the giant arm. She sent a hex bolt in that direction, lifting the metal away, before focusing her attention on the pyramid.

Just as the beam began to weaken, she was distracted by an ear-splitting scream of what could only be described as pure agony.

Dropping her concentration and spinning around, Wanda saw that Kitty had woken up and evidently tried to get to her feet, only to be forced to give up. She silently scolded herself for not checking; she had assumed that Kitty's powers would protect her from any serious injuries. Hurrying over to check on her, she bit back a scream herself, this time of horror.

Kitty was lying on her front in a pool of blood, her uniform shredded by the jagged metal that had trapped her. Her legs seemed to have taken the worst of the damage and to say that they were broken would be an understatement. "Wanda …" She gasped through the pain. "Is it as bad as it looks?"

Wanda hesitated, torn between being honest and keeping her calm. "Well … to be perfectly blunt, you look like you stuck your legs in a giant blender."

"Oh." Kitty gritted her teeth, hands clenching at nothing. "Won't be trying that again then." She took a few deep breaths in an attempt control the pain and, to Wanda's complete astonishment and admiration, she was Shadowcat again, calm, collected and seemingly oblivious to everything but the battle. "You're the best chance we have, Wanda. Pyramid, go!"

Reluctantly, Wanda left her side and returned to the base unit, firing at the beam shooting up into the stratosphere. Once again, the beam began to weaken, but her energy was being steadily drained and, finally, she had to give up, collapsing with exhaustion.

A shadow fell on her and she looked up to realise that her possessed father was looming over her, his face in shadow, a huge ball of scrap metal poised behind him. "Father, please … don't …" She closed her eyes, knowing her pleas were futile, knowing that she had seconds, if that, to think of some way to move, but the repercussions of her last stand had left her weighed down and, even if she could move, she didn't have the power to save herself.

With an almighty crash, the metal dropped from the sky. A scream pierced the air, but it wasn't hers and all Wanda could think was that dying wasn't as painful as she'd thought.

"Hey, sis. You look like you could use a hand."

As her senses caught up with her, her eyes flew open and she realised that she was no longer slumped on the ground next to the pyramid, but several metres away, in her brother's arms. "Pietro!"

"In the flesh." Pietro put her down with a smile. "Got your message. Figured we'd come and help."

Wanda turned around to see the rest of the boys exiting a jet. "Isn't that the _Blackbird_?"

Pietro shrugged. "Eh, we borrowed it."

"Right, borrowed." Wanda shook her head with a smile. "Hey, Kitty, the cavalry's here!"

When the metal had fallen, Kitty hadn't been able to prevent her scream as she averted her gaze, unable and unwilling to watch. Even the slight movement that had caused sent pain shooting through her, starting from her legs and travelling up her body to every nerve ending.

Somehow Wanda's voice cut through that and she looked up, feeling tears of relief escaping her eyes. "Thank God …"

"Kitty!" Lance sprinted to her side, faltering slightly when the extent of her injuries became apparent. "Shit."

"It … looks worse … than it is." Kitty lied, grasping the hand he offered.

"Bull." Lance stated bluntly. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay to you?" Kitty demanded without any real bite.

Lance managed a weak smile. "Alright, stupid question. You're gonna be fine, Kitty, alright? You'll be fine."

"Not if you're worrying about me instead of helping them." Kitty pointed out shakily. "Leave me here; I'm not going anywhere."

"Kitty …" Lance began.

"Avalanche!" Pietro called. "Bring him down!"

Lance sighed, releasing Kitty's hand to stroke her hair softly, before turning and slamming his fists into the ground. The tremor travelled away from them – much to Kitty's relief, since she didn't feel it at all – and uprooted trees and rocks, bringing them down on top of Magneto, burying him.

* * *

**Sphinx**

Magneto had done his work and the Sentinels up in space had been destroyed. There was nothing standing in Apocalypse's way any more and he lay down in the Eye of Ages, causing it to power up.

"And the evolution … begins."

**

* * *

AN: Review please!**


	28. The End of the World III

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Eight – The End of the World III

**October 1998: Day Four**

**New York**

With the raging storm, it was obvious to those left behind that something was happening and it wasn't good.

Outside, the thunder rolled and lightning streaked across the sky as a fierce wind blew, threatening to uproot trees and cars, and rain pounded the ground, causing some lower areas to begin flooding.

By lunchtime on the fourth day – although none of them had realised it – they had moved across the hall to the rec room, leaving the TV on in the living room.

It was then that the power died and they instantly became alert.

"What's going on?" Lorna asked quietly.

"I don't …" Jubilee trailed off as there was a loud thud outside. "What was that?"

Rahne peered out of the window, but it was dark as night outside. "One of the trees got uprooted. I've never seen a storm this bad."

"They're losing." Remy stated grimly. "It's now or never."

"But everything's gonna be fine, isn't it?" Belladonna asked, nodding meaningfully at the four-year-old on her lap.

"Yeah, of course." Jubilee lied cheerfully, praying Illyana had the X-gene. "Can we get some light in here, Pyro?"

"Hang on." John flicked the lighter and sent the flame into the fireplace, illuminating their pale faces.

As it did, Jubilee groaned, seeing that Belladonna's face was contorted in pain. Lorna leaned over and pulled Illyana into her own arms. "You want an aspirin?"

"I don't think aspirin's gonna help her." Jubilee muttered, turning back to the window and once more praying to a higher entity she was no longer sure she believed in.

**

* * *

Mexico**

As Blob and Sunspot hammered at the base, Wanda and Alex sent a steady stream of energy up at the beam. Although it wavered, it remained as strong as ever and all four were forced to stop.

Todd leapt onto a tree branch, clinging to it in the gale. "Did we win?"

"Right." Pietro rolled his eyes and jerked a thumb towards the two jets, where two women writhed in agony on the ground, a television camera abandoned at their side. "Don't you ever learn?"

"Oh yeah." Todd remembered. "We never win."

As if to prove his point, the tail end of the helijet suddenly tore away from the rest, shaping into a propeller which began spinning towards them.

They scattered as it slashed through the debris, freeing Magneto, who rose into the air, the metallic substances joining him.

Pietro scowled up at him. "Let's finish this!"

**

* * *

Sphinx**

"_Wolverine …" _Beast's voice crackled weakly through the communicator. _"We're … not gonna … make it …"_

Wolverine was as badly injured as everyone else, if not worse; he staggered to his feet, switching the frequency to reach Kitty and Jean as well. "Don't give up. We've got one play left."

Mystique leapt towards him, turning into a bundle of cobras mid-jump, which latched onto him, knocking him off his feet again.

Outside the Sphinx, the last helijet hovered, the hatch opening. Rogue gazed at the mighty structure for a few seconds, before turning to their two extra passengers. "It's okay, Mrs. Leech; this is as far as Dorian has to go."

Dorian's face was pale enough at the best of times, but now, as he shrank back into his mother, his skin was almost ashen and he looked up at Rogue, looking terrified.

"It's okay." Rogue soothed, crouching down carefully. "Please don't be scared. Like I said, the ability you have to shut down the energy around you is gonna help save a lot of people. I'm just gonna borrow it for a while. Okay?"

Dorian looked up at his mother, who smiled comfortingly at him. He nodded at Rogue, who touched his face gently, taking a little more of his powers than she would normally, just to be sure, and he sagged into her arms. Carefully, she handed him to his mother. "He'll only be out for a few minutes. Ready?"

Sam helped her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist. "When you are." Powering up, he rocketed them up to the entrance of the Sphinx and they landed on the steps. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Rogue pulled a face. "Baby didn't like that very much. I'm fine; come on."

Finally managing to rip the cobras from him, Logan sprinted for the door, past Scott's unconscious body, but Mystique shifted into a panther and leapt at him again.

Then a wave of energy travelled through the room, hitting her in mid-air; she turned human again and fell to the floor.

Seeing Rogue and Cannonball in the doorway, Logan leapt towards the other, slicing it open. "Go! Go! Go! Go!"

Rogue slipped past him and Logan made to follow, but Mystique grasped his leg. He smirked down at her. "You ain't so tough without your powers, are you?"

Pushing her concern to the back of her mind, Rogue stood beside her brother, sending another wave of energy towards Apocalypse, who was lying in the Eye of Ages, effectively stopping the infusion of his DNA.

**

* * *

Mexico**

To everyone's surprise, the beam from the pyramid vanished suddenly. Magneto lifted his hands, preparing to strike at his opponents, then fell to the ground with a groan.

"Hey!" Todd cried as Pietro and Wanda approached their father warily. "We won!"

**

* * *

China**

The current lightning storm coming to a sudden, Storm fell from the sky. Evan raced to catch her, the mind control implements falling from her.

**

* * *

Egypt**

Jean came to just to see Professor Xavier drop from the sky. Catching him telekinetically, she hurried over to him, mentally breathing a sigh of relief as she felt a soft thud below her uniform.

**

* * *

New York**

"The storm's died down." Rahne called, peering out the window at the destruction. Thankfully, the perimeter fence had been left in tact, though many of the trees had been uprooted and they knew that several of the upstairs windows had been shattered.

"Yeah, but is that good or bad?" Remy asked, trying to get the TV working again.

"I don't know." Jubilee admitted shakily.

Having become the sole voice of reason – probably since she'd never met the rest of the team – Lorna was braiding Illyana's hair in an attempt to soothe her. "Well, Bella doesn't look like she's about to collapse anymore, so I'd take it as a good thing."

"Or she's one of the 3%." John muttered.

Belladonna groaned, pressing a cold cloth to her forehead. "I am still here, you know."

Lorna sighed. "I know. Why don't we make some more hot cocoa?"

"How?" John asked. "There's no electricity."

Lorna tossed him his lighter. "Are you a mutant or not?"

**

* * *

Sphinx**

Mid-kick, Mystique staggered and fell, the device controlling her falling off as she did. Logan caught her before she hit the ground. "Now what am I supposed to do with her?" He looked at Sam. "Stay with her; try to get Cyke up."

Rogue approached the Eye of Ages. "You've used us for the last time."

Apocalypse grabbed her arm, but she shook free and proceeded to slam the device shut on him. He began slamming on the inside, trying to break free, but Wolverine leapt over and landed on top of it, keeping it shut. "Rogue, turn the power back on!"

Confused, Rogue did as she was told and the Eye of Ages began to power back up again. Logan sliced through the controls, rendering it useless. "Let's go!"

The two sprinted for the exit, leaping out of the vessel right before it closed and vanished in a flash of light before their very eyes.

"Where'd it go?" Rogue asked.

"I don't know." Logan reached down and pulled Kurt to his feet as he woke up. "Hopefully, it just fell through the cracks of time. Never to be seen again."

"Somehow, I don't think we'll be _that_ lucky." Rogue sighed.

Kurt hugged her. "How's the baby?"

"Alive and kicking." Rogue winced, putting a hand on her stomach. "And seems to think my bladder's a squeeze toy."

It wasn't that funny, but both men laughed, and she could help joining, elation filling her. Kurt released her, keeping an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go home."

As they all climbed out of the Sphinx, realising as they did that the pyramid had sunk back into the desert, Scott gazed up at the sky, leaning heavily on Logan and Sam, limping on a leg that was probably broken. "Do you think we stopped Apocalypse in time?"

"I think we cut it close." Logan told him. "But yeah."

"Kurt! Rogue!" Mystique called from behind them.

Kurt stiffened, glancing at Rogue. "Up to you."

"You go on." Rogue prompted, sensing that he didn't want to talk to their mother. "I'll meet you at the jet." Without waiting for an argument, she turned and walked back.

"I just want you to know …" Mystique began.

"Save it." Rogue cut her off. "You don't believe your excuses; don't expect me to. We're both exhausted and full of adrenalin. I just wanna go home. At some point before Christmas, I'll visit Irene. I'm not saying anything will come of it, but hopefully I'll have a clearer head then. I am _not _having this discussion now."

Mystique nodded. "Thank you."

Rogue turned away without a response, accepting Kurt's help into the jet. "Why did you do that, Rogue?" Kurt hissed.

"I think this little one might give me a different view of things." Rogue answered. "And it's Anna. I've gone by a code-name for long enough."

"Anna." Scott repeated from her other side. "It suits you."

Anna smiled at him. "Thanks. We've got a few extra; what happened?"

"We've been reporting on the battle." One of the extra men she'd noticed told her. "Any chance of an explanation?"

The siblings exchanged an amused glance, before launching into the story of how Apocalypse was stopped.

After everything, they'd finally been handed a miracle.

* * *

"We are not getting home in that." Wanda commented, surveying the damaged helijet. She pulled the hatch to the cockpit open and helped the two pilots out. "Are you two alright?"

"Been better." One of the men coughed. "She alright?"

Wanda glanced over to where Lance and Roberto were kneeling at Kitty's side. "I don't know."

A few feet away, Warren and Alex were having a similar conversation with the two women from the news crew.

"This was broadcast?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"World-wide." The reporter confirmed. "Oh, turn the camera off, Jenny; there's no point. That storm wiped out the power."

"That means the mansion won't know we won." Roberto commented.

"No one will." Warren pointed out. "We'll have to let them know somehow; put people at ease."

"What do you suggest?" Lance asked. "Carrier pigeon?"

Warren rolled his eyes. "Funny."

"Wanda, is there anything you can do here?" Lance called.

Wanda joined them, pulling a face. "I don't think so." She lifted her hand, encasing Kitty's legs in a blue light. "There's too much damage; I can block the pain to get us into … whatever's gonna take us home. But you're on your own from then."

"I'll take what I can get." Kitty breathed a sigh of relief as the pain went away, even if it was temporary. "Thank you."

"Wanda!" Pietro called, supporting Magneto's weight. "I'm going to run father back to his base and then I'll make my own way back to Bayville, alright?"

"Alright, we'll see you there." Wanda responded.

"Head for the Institute, not the Boarding House." Kitty added. "You'll beat everyone back and they don't know what's happened."

"You got it, Kit-Kat." Pietro disappeared with his father in a gust of wind before she had a chance to scold him.

"None of this solves how we're going to get home." Wanda sighed.

Lance straightened up. "Well, we could always leave the same way we came in."

Twelve pairs of eyes turned to look at the Brotherhood, shining in the afternoon sun.

* * *

Having dropped his father off at his base, Pietro took off for Bayville, which was a much shorter run, but, for the first time in his life, he overshot on the run, passing through New York altogether.

When he skidded to a halt, he was standing in woodland, much farther north than where he wanted to be.

Bending over, Pietro rested his hands on his knees, breathing deeply. He needed to catch his breath before he made another run like that.

"Excuse me."

Pietro turned to face the voice … and stopped. The woman standing before him couldn't have been much younger than himself and had obviously been living wild – her clothes were torn and her hair a mess – but she was beautiful – dark chestnut hair, green eyes that sparkled despite the weariness within them and a body a model would be proud of. After a few awkward seconds, he realised he was staring at her and cleared his throat. "Sorry. Can I help you?"

"Maybe." She ran a hand through her hair. "I need to get to Bayville, New York. There's … someone there I need to talk to. Do you know the way?"

Pietro smiled at her. "I can do better than that; I can take you there myself. Just give me a few minutes to catch my breath."

She returned his smile, but still looked a little wary. "How?"

"I'm mutant." Pietro extended a hand. "Pietro Maximoff; fastest man alive. And you are?"

"I'm … complicated." She shook his hand. "I don't really have a name." Taking a few steps backwards, she held up the hand he had just held and clenched her fist. "At HYDRA, I was known only as X-23."

Three claws shot from her knuckles and it was only years of experience that stopped Pietro from recoiling in shock. "You're looking for Wolverine then." He guessed, remembering Kitty's story about his errant 'clone'. "He's not in Bayville at the moment, but he should be back soon." He stretched, feeling his energy return. "Alright. Time to go."

This time when he extended a hand, she hesitated before taking it.

"Relax." Pietro moved closer to her. "I don't bite." Wrapping an arm around her waist, he started running and, in a split second, they were standing in a well-decorated hallway.

"Where are we?" She asked. "I thought you were gonna take me to Bayville."

"This is Bayville." Pietro assured her. "Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. This was where you were headed, right?"

"Yeah." She looked at him. "You're in the X-Men?"

"God, no." Pietro pulled a face. "I just helped them out; needed to return for a debrief."

She nodded absently and he couldn't help noticing the apprehension in her eyes.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She lied.

Taking her elbow, Pietro guided her into the nearest room, which, as it happened, turned out to be the library. "Shadowcat told us about you, you know. You don't have to lie to me."

"I expected to be killed taking HYDRA out." She confessed quietly. "I don't know what to do now."

"Wolverine'll be able to help." Pietro assured her. "I don't get along with the man and God knows he hates me, but he'll sort everything out."

"I just want to leave that part of my life behind." She sighed, more out of frustration than anything else.

A book on one of the coffee tables caught Pietro's eye and he picked it up. "Well, you could start by giving people another name to call you by."

She raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I can help you there." Pietro held up the book. "My cousin's expecting a baby; she's spent the last four months thinking up names." Flipping through the pages, he stopped randomly and ran his eye down the list of names. "Hmm. Levia?"

"No."

"Levona?"

"No."

"Lewa?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Definitely not."

"Alright." Pietro conceded. "How about Lexa?"

This time, she hesitated. "Lexa … I like that name."

Pietro closed the book, observing her. "It suits you."

Lexa smirked at him. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is a compliment. Trust me." Pietro gestured towards the stairs. "Jubilee doesn't know the outcome yet and this was a big battle, so I need to let her know as soon as possible." He led her down the staircase, through the entrance hall and into the rec room, where a group of people – three of whom he knew, one of whom he recognised and three of whom he'd never met – were staring at the blank TV screen as though they were afraid it might vanish before their eyes.

Pietro cleared his throat, causing the two women he'd never met to jump, one of them pulling the child on her lap closer.

Gambit and Pyro got to their feet as Jubilee spun around to face him. "Quicksilver!"

"What happened?" Remy demanded. "Do you know something?"

Pietro nodded. "We won."

**

* * *

AN: So that's the end of canon in this fic, if I ever really followed it to start with, and we're about to embark upon an alternative journey … Sometimes I wonder what I'm on when I write these notes, I really do. Review please!**


	29. Homecoming

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Nine – Homecoming

**October 27****th**** 1998**

At his words, the atmosphere in the room visibly changed. Remy dropped shakily into one of the arm chairs, relief evident on his face. John laughed aloud and scooped the small child into his arms, spinning her round, causing her to shriek with laughter. And Jubilee practically threw herself, sobbing, into his arms. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Pietro patted her back as she clung to him. "You're welcome. Now let go."

"Sorry." Hastily pulling away, Jubilee wiped her eyes and turned to his companion with a smile. "Hi! I'm Jubilee."

"Lexa." She returned, shaking her hand. "But you already knew me."

"We do?" Remy asked.

"Well, you wouldn't." Jubilee told him. "You were in the infirmary with Rogue. X-23, right?"

Lexa flinched and nodded.

"I think Lexa suits you better." Lorna commented, looking a little confused.

"Okay, Lorna, Bella, this is Pietro Maximoff, better known as Quicksilver." Jubilee explained, in a far better mood than she had been for months. "Lorna Dane and Belladonna Boudreaux. The little one is Illyana Rasputin. And you know Remy, John and Rahne, don't you?"

"Yeah." Pietro nodded to them. "They should be getting back any minute now. Shouldn't we be waiting for them?"

"Right." Jubilee agreed. "We'd best get down to the hangar."

Lorna stood and took Illyana from John, settling her onto her hip. "Lead the way."

"Didn't we just pass one of the elevators?" John asked as they followed her down the hallway.

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Power's out, Pyro. Back-up generators give us light and security. Unfortunately, they don't extend to the elevators so we are just gonna have to walk." She stopped, pulling aside a photo frame to pull a lever, causing a hidden door to open, revealing a staircase.

Unlike the rest of the house, this was well-lit, which was a relief, since the space was small and the steps wound downwards in a tight spiral.

"You have a mansion like that and a staircase like this." Pietro muttered. "What happened to the planning there?"

"We need to use all the space down here." Jubilee responded. "The less space this takes up the better."

They emerged into the hangar, just in time to see a jet pulling out of the exit tunnel and come to a smooth stop in front of them.

Jubilee's face lit up with realisation. "Oh_ that's_ where it went! How did you two not notice them lifting the jet?"

John shrugged. "We were a little preoccupied."

The hatch opened and Wanda jumped out, only vaguely acknowledging her brother. "We need the infirmary as soon as possible."

"I've had it ready since you went out." Jubilee told her. "But I don't know how much of it's powered by the back-up …" She trailed off as the lights flickered and then brightened. "Oh! I think the power's back on. Never mind. Down the hall and to the left." She took Illyana from Lorna. "I don't suppose you have any medical training, do you?"

Lorna shook her head. "No, sorry."

"I do." Lexa told her.

Jubilee sighed with relief. "Okay, well, if you and Bella go with Wanda to the infirmary and handle things in there and Lorna …" She glanced up as Remy caught Alex's arm as he stumbled. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Alex clutched his head. "Got a killer headache, but I'm fine."

"Lorna, you take everyone else up to the kitchen." Jubilee finished. "There's a first aid kit with ice-packs and painkillers; that way the infirmary stays clear for the people who need it. Alex, go with her." She stifled a smirk, seeing the spark of interest in his eyes when he saw Lorna, and accepted Roberto's hug. "You alright, Rob?"

"Never better." Roberto grinned. "Who's the newbie?"

"We'll explain later." Jubilee shoved him towards Rahne. "Go on."

At that moment, the radio at the control panel crackled into life. _"SHIELD One requesting permission to land."_

"Dammit." Jubilee muttered, grabbing the mic. "You'll have to wait SHIELD One; we need to move the _Blackbird_ first."

"_Understood."_

"We'll catch a ride back with them." One of the original pilots told her.

"None of you need medical attention?" Jubilee checked.

"No thanks, we're fine." The other assured her.

"There's hot cocoa up in the kitchen." Jubilee told them, seeing the two women almost hiding behind them. "Reporters?"

"Long story." Angel told her, cradling his left arm against his body.

"That looks broken." Jubilee commented, switching her focus to him. "Infirmary, go."

"No." Warren shook his head. "Kitty needs it more than me."

Jubilee felt her stomach drop. "How bad?"

"Really bad." Todd answered, hopping out of the jet with Fred.

"Okay." Jubilee took a deep breath. "Wolfsbane, will you show these people to the kitchen; get them something for the shock."

"Got it."

As soon as the elevator had closed behind them, Wanda turned back to the jet, levitating a stretcher down.

Jubilee bit back a horrified gasp, seeing the state of her team-mate. "Oh my God … Infirmary now! Angel, go with them. You still need that looking at whether it's now or later." Putting out a hand, she stopped Lance from following them down the hall. "Avalanche, I'm afraid you're the only person I trust to move it."

Reluctantly, Lance re-boarded the _Blackbird_ and it rolled forwards a few feet, into place beside the _Velocity. _At Jubilee's nod, John flipped a switch on the control panel and the hatch opened above them, a few droplets of water tumbling down towards them as the swimming pool slid away.

Jubilee switched the mic on again. "SHIELD One, you have clearance to land."

Everyone took a few steps back as the helijet landed softly in front of them. The hatch opened and Wolverine jumped out, before helping Scott, who was heavily favouring his right leg, to disembark.

"Sunspot." Jubilee called.

Roberto hurried over, taking over from Logan as a prop and helping Scott to the infirmary.

"Who's the kid?" Logan asked.

"This is Illyana." Jubilee bounced the little girl slightly, causing her to giggle. "Colossus's little sister; John found her in Australia."

"Pyro's back? Anything else happen?" Logan prompted.

Jubilee nodded. "Gambit got back from New Orleans with his best friend-slash-sister, Belladonna, who's not mutant, but has some medical training, so she's in the infirmary. Mexico's already back; the Brotherhood lifted the _Blackbird_ to go and help, but that's back safe …"

Logan's mouth twitched. "Eh, I think we can forgive them, given the circumstances."

Jubilee laughed. "Yeah. Erm … Angel's got a broken arm and Kitty …" She trailed off with a shudder. "Well, they're the only injuries aside from cuts and bruises."

"Kitty's what?" Logan frowned.

Jubilee pulled a face. "You'll have to see for yourself, Wolverine; I can't explain it. Oh, we got a call about a new student, Lorna; Rahne and I flew to get her. Figured she'd be safer here if everything blew up." She explained nervously.

Logan just nodded. "Good decision. That all?"

Jubilee shook her head. "X-23's back. Except she's going by Lexa now. She's helping them in the infirmary as well."

"Right." Logan turned back to the helijet. "What's keeping you?"

"Something's happening!" Kurt called, teleporting out to them.

Sam appeared at the hatch, an arm around Anna's waist as she leaned heavily on him, teeth gritted in pain. "I think she's in labour."

"I know I'm in labour." Anna gasped as a contraction shot through her. "Shit."

"Little ears." Jubilee called, shielding Illyana.

Remy ran over to the helijet and he and Sam carefully helped Anna down. "Sorry, _chérie_."

"You should be." Anna growled, hugging him anyway. "This freakin' hurts!"

"Bella's in the infirmary." Remy soothed. "She's delivered babies before; you're alright."

Jubilee watched with a fond smile as he guided her out of the hangar towards the infirmary, whispering something to her before kissing her forehead.

As the helijet took off, Scott returned to the hangar with less of a limp, though that might have been due to the heavy bandage on his ankle.

"Wasn't broken?" Jubilee asked.

Scott shook his head. "Sprained ankle. ETA on the other jets?"

Jubilee smiled sympathetically. "She can't be that far behind you, Scott; you left from more or less the same …"

"_SHIELD Two requesting permission to land."_

"Go ahead." Jubilee responded into the radio. "She's here, Scott."

The next helijet landed with a soft thud in front of them; the hatch opened and Jean flew into Scott's arms. "Thank God!"

Scott held her tightly. "Are you alright? And the baby?"

"We're fine." Jean took his hand and pressed it against her stomach, letting him feel the reassuring thuds. "See? Are you okay?"

"Sprained ankle." Scott kissed her. "We did it."

"I know …" Jean buried her face in his chest as tears of relief made their way down her cheeks.

With a soft bell noise, the elevator doors slid open and Lorna and John emerged with trays of mugs. "Hey, everybody; we thought we'd …"

"Amara!" John sprinted over to the jet, dropping the tray in his hands, but it hovered in midair.

"Did you catch that?" Scott asked his girlfriend, but she shook her head, wiping her eyes.

"I did." Lorna off-loaded her own tray onto one of the stools and took hold of the other. "It's a metal tray."

Jubilee glanced up as Professor Xavier wheeled off the jet. "Hi, Professor."

"Hello, Jubilee." Xavier greeted. "I see we have a new student."

"Uh huh." Jubilee smiled knowingly as Alex left the elevator as well and took the tray from Lorna. "Maybe two. This is Lorna Dane, from Connecticut. Lorna, this is Professor Charles Xavier." She didn't wait to watch the rest of the conversation, taking Illyana over to the helijet, where John had helped his queasy-looking girlfriend to the ground and was holding her tightly. "Hey, everyone; there's hot cocoa if you want it!"

Illyana's face brightened as her brother disembarked. "Yay!"

"Afternoon." Jubilee greeted cheerfully. "Anyone order a four-year-old?"

"Illyana …" Piotr took his sister from her. "Where did you find her?"

"You're better off asking Pyro when he comes up for air." Jubilee nodded to the mutant in question. "I just fed her."

"Hey Jubes!"

"Hey!" Jubilee hugged Tabitha as she jogged over.

"Did the boys show up?" Tabby asked.

"Yeah, they lifted the jet and took off for Mexico." Jubilee answered, not at all surprised when Tabby just sniggered and offered a high five to Pietro, who appeared beside her.

"Nice one!"

Pietro just smirked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Have fun?"

"Don't I always?" Tabby glanced around. "Where's Rocky?"

"Infirmary." Pietro answered grimly. "With Kitty."

That wiped the smile off Tabby's face. "How bad?"

"Bad." Pietro answered. "I've never seen so much blood. You think we should …" He trailed off, jerking his head in the direction of the infirmary.

Swallowing hard, Tabby nodded and he shifted his arm down to her waist before sprinting off.

Jubilee smiled sadly, realising just how close Kitty was to the rest of the Brotherhood, and turned to catch Jamie as he ran into her. "Hey kid!"

"I'm not a kid!" Jamie protested.

"Of course not." Jubilee agreed mildly as the helijet took off again.

"Where's Kitty?" Jamie asked worriedly.

Jubilee sighed, crouching down in front of him. "Jamie, Kitty's hurt. Really badly hurt."

Jamie paled. "But she's gonna be okay, right? Can I go see her?"

"I don't know, sweetie." Jubilee caught his arm. "But she won't want you to see her like this. Why don't you go and get some hot cocoa? It'll make you feel better." She caught Lorna's eye and the other girl excused herself from her conversation to jog over. "Jamie, this is Lorna Dane. Lorna, Jamie Madrox, youngest member of the X-Men." She kept eye contact the entire time, praying that Lorna would understand.

Thankfully, Lorna did and smiled brightly. "Hi, Jamie. Want some cocoa?"

Jamie nodded quietly and she guided him towards the elevator, chatting about Bayville and the Institute and, before the doors closed, Jubilee was relieved to see him smile and answer one of her questions.

Now all she could do was to wait.

She perched on the chair next to the control panel, the mic easily within her reach, her heart thudding in her chest.

She could see John holding Amara, stroking her hair soothingly, and Jean clinging to Scott, both with a hand on her stomach, and she suddenly felt incredibly lonely.

_It's okay; they're coming in from China; they're miles away._

The mantra repeated itself in her head, but still she was terrified and, suddenly, exhausted. She'd been strong for too long; she couldn't do it any longer; she needed …

"_SHIELD Three …"_

Jubilee didn't wait for him to finish, grabbing the mic. "Clear to land."

She could almost hear the smirk in his response. _"Thank you."  
_

Her heart in her mouth, Jubilee dropped the radio on to the control panel and stood up, watching the last helijet come to land in front of her, almost torturously slowly.

The hatch opened and then, at last, he was standing in front of her. He had a gash down one side of his face and his uniform was torn, but he was smiling at her and her world was suddenly right again.

Before she even registered moving, she was in his arms clinging to him desperately, sobbing into his uniform, the control she'd been forced to keep all week crumbling like one of Storm's freshly-baked cookies.

Holding her closely, Bobby moved them away from the jet so Evan could help his aunt down, since she looked a little queasy. "It's alright, Jubes." He murmured, kissing her head. "We're alright."

"I was so worried." Jubilee mumbled into his chest.

"I know." Bobby tilted her face up and kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jubilee whispered, loosening her grip slightly. "Are you hurt?"

"Nothing a kiss from you won't cure." Bobby grinned, avoiding her hand as she moved to touch the wound on his cheek. "And speaking of kisses …" He looked around and found who he was looking for. "YO, SAM! Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What was that about?" Jubilee asked, confused.

"Nothing." Bobby shrugged, kissing her again and pulling her close.

Sam turned red and John clapped him on the shoulder. "You lose a bet or something, mate?"

"No, he survived." Amara smirked. "You'd best pick up a phone, Sam; Rahne …" She trailed off.

"She's back." John supplied.

"Oh my God!" Amara squealed, abandoning her boyfriend's arms to hug her former team-mate. "Are you 'back' back? Or this just a temporary thing?"

"No, I'm really back." Rahne laughed.

"Okay, now you _have _to do it." Amara told Sam, grabbing John's hand and dragging him away.

"Do what?" Rahne asked, giving Sam a hug.

Sam cleared his throat. "Erm … okay. First of all, I really missed you."

Rahne smiled at him. "I missed you too, Sam. Do what?"

"Okay." Sam took a deep breath. "When we flew out, I promised myself I'd do something if I came back in one piece and … I did. So please don't hate me." Cupping her face gently, he pressed his lips to hers nearly collapsing with relief, when she wound her arms around his neck and returned the embrace.

"Awww." Jean cooed, seeing them, having not been close enough to hear the conversation leading to the kiss. "What do you think brought that on?"

"I've got a pretty good idea." Scott told her. "Life's too short. But forever just got a lot longer."

"Yeah, it did." Jean agreed quietly, refocusing on him.

Scott brushed a strand of hair from her face. "How do you feel about spending it with me?"

"What exactly are you asking?" Jean whispered.

"To be my wife as well as the mother of my child." Scott got down on one knee. "Jean Grey, will you marry me?"

Nearby, Amara squealed again, causing silence to descend on the hangar, but Jean hardly noticed.

"Yes!" She cried.

Scott stood again and picked her up, twirling her round before kissing her deeply.

Bobby grinned, wrapping an arm around Jubilee's shoulder so he could greet Amara and John who had headed over to them. "Well, it's about time."

"Scott and Jean or Sam and Rahne?" Jubilee asked curiously.

"Both." Bobby responded, still grinning. "Mainly the latter; Sam's been driving me crazy for the last two years and he's got a chance of getting better. Scott and Jean are always gonna be nauseating, whether they're married or not."

**

* * *

AN: I apologise if my AN last chapter confused people; this fic is nowhere near finished, we're just out of canon now. Please review!**


	30. Pain & Relief

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution. I do own the name Rogue and Gambit give their child – I'm not giving that away yet (even though most of you probably already know it).**

* * *

Chapter Thirty – Pain & Relief

**October 27****th**** 1998**

**Meanwhile …**

"This would be a hell of a lot easier if we knew where anything was." Wanda muttered as she lowered the stretcher on to one of the beds.

Lexa looked around, taking everything in. "I think we can manage."

Belladonna nodded in agreement. "It's not that hard if you know what you're looking for." She pulled a face, observing Kitty, who was still lying on her stomach. "How are we going to do anything about that?"

"Okay …" Lexa let out a breath. "You're right; there's not much we can do. So why don't you set …" She trailed off. "I didn't catch your name."

"Warren." He filled in.

"Why don't you set Warren's arm for him and we'll see what we can do here?" Lexa suggested.

"Good idea." Belladonna hurried over to one of the cupboards, rooting through it.

"Right, first thing we need to do," Lexa started, "is get you onto your back, because you'll make yourself sick if you stay like that."

"Do we have to?" Kitty whispered, her voice beginning to break.

Lexa took a few steps back. "I'd rather not go deaf." She explained when Wanda gave her a questioning look. "Enhanced hearing. It'll be quicker and smoother if you do it telekinetically."

Lance came running in. "Everything okay?"

"Hold on." Wanda told him. "Ready, Kitty?"

"No." Kitty took a deep breath. "But go ahead."

A pale blue light surrounded her and Wanda lifted her into the air. "Someone move that stretcher while we're at it."

Lance moved forwards and pulled the stained contraption out from underneath his girlfriend.

Then Wanda flipped her onto her back in one smooth movement, flinching when Kitty screamed in pain once again, this time breaking into tears, for the first time she could remember. She saw Lance move forwards automatically and shook her head, gently lowering her back down. "Any movement's going to cause her extra pain at the moment."

Sighing deeply, Lance knelt at Kitty's side, taking her hand and smoothing her hair back.

"We need a CAT scan machine really." Lexa commented.

Wanda pointed to the other end of the infirmary. "Is that one?"

"I think it might be." Lexa jogged down to take a closer look.

"Lance, this really, really hurts." Kitty whispered, her tears drying.

"I know." Lance murmured, squeezing her hand. "I know it does. It'll be okay, Kitten."

Lexa returned, eying the tiled floor. "Kitty, we need to x-ray you, alright?"

"I'll hold your legs still while we move you." Wanda assured her, removing the brakes on the wheels.

Carefully, the two women pushed the bed down towards the machine, every scratch in the floor feeling like a ravine that needed to be crossed, but finally, finally, they made it.

"You alright, man?" Lance asked, directing his question at Angel, but not moving his gaze from his girlfriend.

"Eh, nothing that can't be fixed." Warren glared at the sling Belladonna was holding. "Is that really necessary?"

"Unless someone round here has the power to heal your arm, then yes." Belladonna told him firmly. "Otherwise, the bone will slip out of place."

"At least you're right-handed." Another voice stated.

"Cyclops." Warren nodded to him, allowing Belladonna to tie the sling on. "Alright, I'll wear it, but I'm not happy."

"Where's Kitty?" Scott asked.

Lance didn't look at him. "They're x-raying her now. Jean back yet?"

"Why do you …?" Scott trailed off.

"She's my sister, remember?" Lance smirked weakly. "I'm allowed to worry about her."

Scott didn't grace this with a response, turning instead to Belladonna who was observing his left ankle. "And you are?"

Belladonna moved her gaze to his face and smiled. "Belladonna Boudreaux. You know why Remy left?"

"Just that he had family problems to take care of." Scott answered warily.

"We've been best friends since we were little." Belladonna explained. "He's the brother I never had and I was … well, it's a long story, best told when we're not here. That ankle looks sprained."

"Not broken?" Scott questioned.

Belladonna gestured to the cot Warren had just vacated. "Sit."

To everyone's surprise, Scott did as he was told, letting Belladonna prod the area around his ankle carefully.

"No, it's definitely just a sprain." Belladonna stood up and pulled an ice-pack and bandage out of the cupboard. "I'll wrap it up and you can go wait for your girlfriend. Assuming the woman you're talking about is your girlfriend."

"Yeah. She's …" Scott broke off with a slight hiss as the ice-pack pressed against his swollen ankle. "She's seven months pregnant."

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Belladonna assured him. "You alright, sugar?"

Roberto started. "Yeah, thanks. Just gave Scott a hand down here."

A soft beeping came from the other end and Lexa stood up. "Done."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you …?"

"X-23." Lexa confirmed. "Lexa. Deal with it."

Wanda shrugged. "You heard the woman. Brace yourself."

"What?" Scott asked in bewilderment.

"Not you." Wanda rolled her eyes. "Kitty." She and Lexa undid the straps and carefully rolled the bed back to where it had started.

Scott cursed under his breath. "Kitty …"

"I'm fine." Kitty bit out.

"She's not fine." Lance disagreed in an undertone. "She's stubborn."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, I know how that goes."

There was an awkward silence.

Lance cleared his throat. "Did we just have a moment?"

Scott didn't respond for a few seconds. "We never speak of this again." He stood up, testing his weight on his foot.

"Got it." Lance agreed quickly, moving to Kitty's side. "So what's the verdict, Lexa?"

Lexa shook her head, gazing at the x-rays. "It doesn't look good. I can't see how there can possibly be any recovery."

"What are you saying?" Kitty whispered. "That I'll never walk again?" She grabbed Lance's hand again, squeezing it tightly, willing him to tell her that she was mishearing things.

"I don't know." Lexa admitted. "Theoretically, eventually, maybe. But don't get your hopes up. I can't even work out how these breaks can mend; the bones have been shattered. It's like …"

"Like she stuck her legs inside a giant blender." Wanda finished, nodding in vague acknowledgement as Roberto murmured that he and Scott were going back to the hangar.

Lexa nodded. "Strange analogy, but yeah. Best thing we can do is set them and hope for the best."

"Is this gonna involve my legs moving?" Kitty asked.

"Definitely." Lexa admitted.

"Put me under." Kitty told her, her voice shaking. "I can't deal with that again." Her face cleared and she smiled. "Hi, guys."

Everyone turned to see Todd and Fred approaching them.

"You okay, Kitty?" Todd asked shakily.

"Been better." Kitty admitted, shooting Scott a warning look. "We're one short, aren't we?"

"Pietro's waiting for Tabby to get back." Fred explained quietly.

"Er, Wanda, could you help me over here?" Lexa asked, finding the drug she was looking for.

"I know what you're thinking." Wanda took the bottle from her so she could set up. "You're wondering how she's so calm all of a sudden."

"Yeah." Lexa nodded.

"Fred and Todd aren't the most secure of people … emotionally." Wanda explained in an undertone. "Kitty's not one of us, but she's still our sister. If they thought she was seriously hurt … it'd break her. She and Lance and Pietro, they're the strong ones."

Before Lexa could respond, the doors burst open again and two people stumbled in.

"Holy crap!" Kitty cried. "Rogue, are you alright?"

"Anna." Her room-mate reminded her though gritted teeth. "The baby's coming."

"Here, sugar." Belladonna hurried over to them, helping Remy get her into a bed. "You need to lie down."

"Am I okay?" Anna repeated once the contraction had passed. "Kitty, you look like hell!"

"Thanks." Kitty responded dryly.

The doors opened yet again and Pietro stopped at Kitty's bedside, letting Tabby down as he did.

"Damn …" Tabby whispered. "You'll be alright."

"Hold on!" Lexa called over the noise of Remy introducing the two women and Pietro accosting Lance for medical details. "There are a few too many people in here; there's about to be one more. Can we clear some space please?"

"Right." Tabby agreed, squeezing Kitty's shoulder. "Come on, Froggy, Freddy; let's go and get some hot cocoa. Good luck, ladies."

"Thanks." Anna winced. "Ow, ow, ow … that's another one!"

Remy grabbed her hand. "It'll be okay. Deep breaths."

"That's easy for you to say!" Anna snapped back.

"Lance, go and get Jean please." Wanda requested. "Pietro … just go." To her surprise, she got no argument from either of them and she turned her attention to Kitty. "Okay, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Kitty closed her eyes as Wanda slipped the mask over her face and took a deep breath, only vaguely feeling Lexa slip the needle into her arm.

When Lance found his sister, he had to hold back a grimace, as well as the urge to punch her boyfriend as hard as he could. "Not that I want to interrupt or anything, but Wanda wants you in the infirmary."

Jean pulled away from Scott and turned to hug her brother tightly. "Thank God! Are you alright?"

"Fine." Lance assured her, tightening his grip for a second, then releasing her. "Are you? And the baby?"

"Both fine." Jean told him with a bright smile. "Scott and I are getting married."

"Congratulations." Lance kissed her forehead, glaring at Scott over her shoulder, the unspoken threat perfectly clear.

A sudden scream pierced the air and the twins exchanged a panicked look, before hurrying back towards the infirmary.

By the time they got there, they realised they weren't alone; it seemed like everyone had beaten them to it and were loitering with intent, as though trying to decide whether to enter or not.

"Where did those reporters go?" Lance asked Jubilee, who was standing in Bobby's arms near the back.

"Quicksilver dropped them off in town about five minutes ago." She answered staring at the door.

"Oh, this is ridiculous." Jean whistled sharply. "Hey! Lady with a baby coming through!"

Lance watched the crowd part like the Red Sea. "You're enjoying being pregnant."

"I am now." Jean confirmed cheerfully, dragging him into the infirmary, where two of the beds were surrounded by curtains.

"Well, that one's Kitty." Lance whispered, pointing to the one on the left. "And that one's Rogue … sorry, Anna. That's gonna take some getting used to."

"Yeah, it is." Jean agreed. "Who do you think …?"

Before she could finish, Remy slipped out from behind the curtains, his face pale, but wearing a grin. "It's a girl!"

"Congrats, man!" Lance caught his arm as he stumbled slightly. "How are they?"

"Both fine." Remy shook his head slowly as though he had water in his ears. "It's a girl."

Jean hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek. "Congratulations." She glanced up as Belladonna slipped through the curtains as well. "You must be Belladonna; I'm Jean."

"Hi." Belladonna shook her hand. "We've got a scanner here; you want me to check on yours?"

"I can feel him moving." Jean assured her. "But that'd be great, thanks. Is she up for company?"

"Go ahead." Anna called.

Jean stuck her head through the curtain, finding Anna sitting up, a swaddle of blankets in her arms. "How you feeling?"

"Tired." Anna admitted. "Exhausted. Unbelievably happy."

"I bet." Jean gave her a careful hug. "What's her name?"

Anna pulled the blankets back to reveal a sleeping newborn. "Lorelai Katherine. We wanted a traditional Southern name."

"Well, you got that." Jean paused. "Katherine after …" She trailed off and nodded towards the other closed-off bed.

"Yeah." Anna admitted. "You wanna hold her?"

"Can I?" Jean held her arms out and cradled Lorelai gently. "Hi! Oh, she's beautiful! And I'm so glad you went though this before me."

Anna laughed quietly. "I'll take that in the spirit it was intended."

Wanda's head appeared through the curtains. "Can I open these?" Receiving a nod, she pulled them back. "Boy or girl?"

"Girl. Lorelai." Anna smiled.

"Congratulations." Wanda moved behind Jean to gaze down at the baby. "She's gonna look just like you."

"God, Lance, we were this small once." Jean whispered. "Can you believe it?"

Lance joined her. "No, Jeannie, _I _was this small; you were even tinier."

"Is that even possible?" Anna wondered.

"Yeah, especially with twins; one's usually bigger than the other." Jean answered absently.

"Kitty's awake." Wanda told them quietly. "She's asking for you." She added, glancing at Anna.

Anna nodded. "Got it." She got out of bed carefully and took her daughter back, before moving through the gap in the drapes surrounding the other bed.

Wanda and Lexa had clearly moved Kitty before she woke up, because she was sat up, both her legs in plaster. She looked considerably more cheerful now. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself." Anna sat down. "You alright?"

Kitty waved her concern away with an airy hand. "Forget about me; you had the baby!"

"Yes, I did." Anna gently placed her baby in her arms. "This is Lorelai Katherine LeBeau."

"That's a … Katherine?" Kitty repeated, sounding startled.

"Well, some people name their children after their parents." Anna smiled wryly. "Not gonna happen. So we decided to name her after my sister. And we'd like you to be her godmother."

Kitty looked up from the baby in her arms. "Really? Anna, I'd be honoured."

"Now how do you feel?" Anna asked quietly.

"Well, it doesn't hurt anymore." Kitty smiled weakly, running a finger down Lorelai's face as her eyes blinked open. "But only if I keep my legs still. And I still don't know if I'll ever walk again."

"Kitty …" Anna pulled out a tissue and wiped away the tear that had begun to make its way down her cheek. "We'll figure something out. Come on, it's us."

"Thanks." Kitty whispered. "I think it's the anaesthetic."

Lance pushed the curtain back. "You okay, Kitten?"

"I'm drugged up." Kitty giggled quietly. "My emotions are all over the place." She glanced over at the door, where several faces were pressed against the windows. "I think it might be time for Lorelai to meet the others."

"Good point." Anna stood up, stretching slightly. "Remy, could you …?"

Remy lifted his daughter into his arms, kissing her forehead. "Got her. Now go and sit down."

Anna sighed. "Remy …"

"He's right." Belladonna interrupted. "You just gave birth; you need to rest. Back into bed."

"Yes, ma'am." Anna muttered, doing as she was told.

Jean pulled the doors open. "You can come in. Quietly."

The girls immediately flocked to Anna's side, cooing over the baby, while the guys hung back, quietly enquiring as to the welfare of the child and her mother.

It was amazing, Kitty reflected, how something so vulnerable and innocent could emerge from the hell they had just been through, almost, she thought to herself, like a phoenix from the ashes.

**

* * *

AN: Yes, I just made a phoenix pun and I apologise. Review please!**


	31. A Brotherhood Interlude

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. Full stop.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty One – A Brotherhood Interlude

**November 1998**

Taryn Winters wasn't having a very good day. Having missed out on a spot in college, she had taken a job as a barmaid and every conversation that afternoon held the same topic: the X-Men.

Amazingly, the two reporters who had made it back to the Institute hadn't disclosed any details or the location – though within Bayville, that was the worst kept secret in America – but they had talked to anyone who would listen – which, at this point, was the whole world – about how they'd been checked for injuries and looked after, despite the severity of some of their own conditions.

If the footage from the battle hadn't been enough, that in itself had cemented the team as superheroes in many eyes.

Of course, Taryn didn't begrudge them the attention, but the hypocrisy of it all made her blood boil.

Sighing heavily, she handed one of the regulars a drink.

"You don't look too happy, sweetheart." He commented, dropping a few notes on the bar. "In fact, you look pretty miserable. You not happy about last week?"

"Ecstatic." Taryn forced a smile. "I went to school with them."

"You did, huh?" He whistled sharply. "Hey, guys? She knows them!"

The bar fell silent and Taryn chuckled. "Where was all your appreciation two years ago, huh? You know why I'm here instead of in college?"

She didn't wait for a response. "I didn't treat them like freaks of nature when I found out and Principal Kelly refused to give me a reference. Just like he didn't give _them_ references for_ being_ mutant. A few months ago, a _six-year-old_ child was almost killed for _looking_ mutant and the people responsible got a slap on the wrist! They were no different then than they are now, yet suddenly they're superheroes. Where were you when they couldn't walk through town alone without getting attacked?"

She sighed again. "They're eighteen! In fact, the youngest is only fifteen! They shouldn't have had to fly out there; they didn't have to. If they'd stayed where they were, they would have been perfectly fine. They risked their lives to save the same people who've been persecuting them for existing for the last two years. The least someone could do is contact them and apologise for treating them like something nasty they've scraped off the bottom of their shoe!"

"You know, she's right." The regular commented thoughtfully. "This is America. Land of the Free. We've been idolising 'superheroes' for years; no one complained that Superman was a Man of Steel who could fly."

"And remember those other kids who had trouble?" Someone else asked. "They're not in the X-Men, are they?"

"They were there last week." Yet another person pointed out.

"If you mean the Brotherhood," Taryn rubbed her head as a migraine began to make itself apparent, "no, they're not. Not as far as I know, anyway."

"Weren't they expelled for causing trouble at the school though?" The regular asked.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't read too much into it." Taryn shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if Kelly blackmailed them into it."

"Excuse me." A female voice called from her right.

Plastering a smile on her face, Taryn turned to her, reaching for a glass. "What can I get you?"

"Directions." The woman leaned in covertly. "Where can I find the Brotherhood?"

"You're not a reporter, are you?" Taryn asked warily.

"No." She held out her card that identified her as Jessica Fefferman from CPS. "If you're right, Principal Kelly has broken regulations."

Taryn smirked inwardly. "In that case, you make a right out of here, go straight down the main road until you reach what we call a park, but is technically a bunch of trees. Head through the trees until you reach a dirt track and turn left. The Boarding House is on the right; you can't miss it."

* * *

"I can't believe you'd be so reckless; you could at least have told me. What if something had happened to you?"

"Mom …" Lance tried to calm her, but it had little effect.

"Aunt Sara." Wanda called. "The boys didn't know until they got back."

"But you knew it was coming!" Sara cried. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't Jean tell me?"

"Because she knew you'd stop us." Lance wrapped his arms around his mother. "I'm sorry."

"They just didn't want to worry you, Aunt Sara." Todd offered.

During the trip Lance had made back to help his mother, it had been the first time Todd and Fred had met her and she had insisted they call her Aunt Sara just like Pietro and Wanda.

Sara smiled shakily at him. "I know, sweetie, but I am worried, all the same. Now …" She pulled away, fixing her son with a stern glare. "Your sister looked like she was in a delicate condition on that news report. How far along is she?"

"Seven months." Lance swallowed. "And since she found out. I'm sorry, Mom; she made me promise not to say anything. She's still got a lot on me, you know."

Tabby brightened up. "Like what?"

Lance laughed. "Yeah right. That's the door. I'll get it." He jogged out into the hallway, pulling open the door to find a woman about his mother's age standing on the doorstep. "Hi."

"Hello, is this the Brotherhood Boarding House?" She asked politely.

"Yeah." Lance answered slowly. "And you are?"

"Jessica Fefferman, CPS." She held out her hand. "Call me Jess."

"Lance Alvers." Lance shook her hand. "Come in."

"Thank you." Jess wiped her feet on the mat and looked around as he closed the door. "I was expecting something a little more …"

"Wrong side of the tracks?" Lance guessed. "Yeah, so do most people." He led her back to the kitchen, which now seemed to contain about twenty teenagers.

"Does this happen often?" Sara asked, a little disorientated.

"Yep." Lance whistled sharply. "Yo, rabble!"

The activity halted immediately, the twenty rapidly diminishing back to five.

"This is Jessica Fefferman, with CPS." Lance introduced.

Sara looked up sharply. "You're not about to split them up, are you? Because I'll adopt them all if I have to."

"You don't live here, Ms …?" Jess trailed off.

"Sara Grey-Alvers." Sara shook her hand. "No, I live in Philadelphia. Lance is my son."

"And she's our aunt." Tabby added. "Well, technically, she's their aunt," she nodded to Wanda and Pietro, "but we still count."

"Of course you do." Sara patted her hand. "Wanda, could you make us all some coffee please?"

"Sure." Wanda moved over to the counter. "I'm Wanda Maximoff, by the way. This is my twin brother, Pietro, and these three are Tabitha Smith, Todd Tolensky and Fred Dukes."

"Actually, I'm here about Principal Kelly …" Jess began, taking the chair Lance offered her.

Pietro groaned. "Oh, what's he done now?"

"Well, apparently, he's refused several people college references …"

"That's right." Sara nodded. "One of them is my daughter."

"Does she live here too?" Jess asked, looking around.

"No, she lives at the Institute." Lance answered.

"With the X-Men." Tabby elaborated.

"I see." Jess nodded, accepting the mug of coffee Wanda passed her. "Thank you. There's a theory that your expulsion wasn't … above board."

"Expulsion." Sara repeated, looking startled. "Lance, you told me that you all left."

Lance cleared his throat. "It's a long story, Mom."

"Well, I want to hear it." Sara stated, crossing her arms.

Lance glanced at Jess. "Whatever we say will be in confidence?"

"For now." She assured him. "And if I have to repeat anything, I'll let you know first."

"What do you need?" Tabby asked.

Jess sighed in what sounded like relief. "Let's start with how you ended up here."

"You'd better start, Pietro." Lance prompted.

Pietro fidgeted for a few seconds, wording and rewording it in his head. "My father …" he began slowly "… believes that humans and mutants will never be able to live together in peace. He believes that mutants are superior; that we're the next stage of human evolution. Part of the reason behind the X-Men is combating him, so he recruited Mystique to gather a group of … what did she call it?"

"Mutant thugs." Todd supplied.

"Oh yeah." Pietro nodded. "So Mystique – Raven Darkholme – brought us together. I'm obviously here because I'm his son."

"I was already at Bayville High." Todd shuddered. "I decided on here instead of the X-Men; one of the worst decisions I've ever made, but the mansion was too … too formal." Seeing the question in her eyes, he, for the first time, elaborated. "My dad died in a car accident when I was six. I wasn't there, but my mom was…she started drinking a lot after that. Ended up taking a drug overdose; I was moved to an orphanage, but what with nightmares and…what I can do…"

"Then ended up moving him to a 'correctional facility." Lance explained in a low voice, when Todd broke off, shaking. "The people who ran it should never have been allowed to have children. He still has panic attacks when we leave him alone." He shot his mother a look, silently praying that she wouldn't react in the way he knew she wanted to.

Thankfully, she understood, contenting herself with wrapping her arms around the youngest Brotherhood member comfortingly.

Fred cleared his throat. "She picked me up in Texas; beat the X-Men to me. My parents were cops … they were at a bank robbery … the guy had a gun. My mutation doesn't exactly … help my size and I ended up as a freak exhibit at monster car shows."

"How are people like that allowed to look after children?" Sara demanded.

Jess sighed. "Unfortunately, there are always some who fall through the cracks. What about you, Lance?"

"Well, I'm the least tragic of the lot." Lance admitted. "After Dad died when I was 12, I went to stay with Aunt Sam in Northbrook. An earthquake brought down part of the school and Mystique assumed it was me, so she recruited me."

"Father abandoned me in a hospital when I was nine." Wanda added. "My powers were out of control. She got me out and promised to help me get back at him if I helped her. She didn't and I don't need to anymore."

"I started with the X-Men." Tabby continued. "But I just didn't fit in there; needed some space. They've all come from loving families or good foster homes. Me, my dad's a drug addict, my mother's really ill. But every time my father gets a job…" She snorted. "Makes it sound righteous, doesn't it? It was all illegal work, of course. Sometimes he'd convince me to help; tell me that this time he really was trying to get her treatment. He never did. And I have no idea where she is. Or if she's even still alive."

Lance wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So she's our sister now."

Jess decided that it was time to change the subject. "So Ms Darkholme was the school principal and you were her wards? Are you aware that this means that you are now Principal Kelly's wards?"

Pietro snorted. "Could have fooled us."

"What Pietro means," Lance sighed, "is when Ms Darkholme left, she stopped paying the rent. And the bills. And for food."

"And full stop." Tabby finished.

"Lance, why didn't you tell me?" Sara scolded. "I thought that was a new development."

"Didn't wanna worry you." Lance told her. "At the time, I didn't know Jeannie was out the coma."

"When I moved in, Lance was keeping about twelve jobs going for it." Tabby continued doggedly, as though neither of them had spoken.

"The rest of us tried." Pietro insisted. "But Lance was a straight-A student back in Northbrook; he had a good record. The rest of us…did not."

"Understatement." Wanda muttered. "This lot hate asking for charity or admitting that they need help; it wasn't until our Mom found out that she was able to help. Wouldn't take no for an answer."

"You didn't mention your mother." Jess reminded her.

"No. Our father told us that she was dead." Wanda sighed. "When I found out that she wasn't, it caused my powers to go haywire. That's why he sent me away."

"I didn't find out until a few years ago." Pietro added.

"She's my adopted sister." Sara explained. "When the twins were about three months old, her husband took them out and never came back."

"Hang on." Jess checked her notes. "Lance, you're eighteen?"

Lance nodded. "Nineteen in January."

"So at _fifteen_, you were doing twelve jobs to pay the rent?" Jess concluded.

Lance shrugged. "Twelve's a ball-park figure, but…yeah."

Jess checked his record. "But you had near-perfect attendance at school. How did you find the time?"

"I didn't sleep." Lance responded; whether it was a joke or not, he didn't elaborate.

"Tell me about the school parking lot." Jess prompted.

Lance hesitated. "Kelly came to us and invited us back to school. Told us no one would mess with us, because they were all scared. I'd only managed to keep two of the jobs after we were exposed and I knew that leaving school completely would lose them too. Around about lunch-time, Kelly called me into his office. Told me that there was going to be school-board meeting about whether the X-Men should stay in school; we weren't included. He told me that if we didn't make them use their powers, which would automatically expel them, he'd expel us. I refused."

"But you said you needed the work." Jess reminded him.

"I did." Lance paused. "But…"

"Jean and Kitty are both in the X-Men." Pietro finished. "Jean's Lance's sister and Kitty's his girlfriend."

"They're smart girls." Tabby added. "They had more ahead of them than we did. Well, actually, I'd already dropped out. I know when I'm not wanted."

Lance nodded in agreement. "Then I ran into Duncan Matthews; my sister's ex, captain of the football team. He told me that if we didn't do it, the entire football team would be on our backs. I can take care of myself, but…I can't be around Todd and Fred all day. Mainly Todd. So we caused a bit of trouble. I knew that the X-Men would stop anyone getting hurt and they did. The next day, Kelly called me into his office and expelled us."

"Why that …" Sara cut herself off, seething with anger. "How dare he? I could just …"

"He is going to get in big trouble for this." Jess assured her. "He can't expel students because of something that happened after school, even if it was on the grounds, especially since you were effectively blackmailed into it."

"Our backgrounds aren't going to come into it, are they?" Wanda asked. "Because…"

"No." Jess assured her. "We've been looking at Edward Kelly for quite some time; this is just the final nail in the coffin." She hesitated. "Is there any news about the young lady injured last week? I heard it was …"

"It was bad." Lance confirmed, his voice shaking slightly. "But if anyone can help her, they can."

"Well, next time you see her, could you give her this?" Jess pulled an envelope out of her folder. "It's just a get-well card from the people in my office."

"Sure." Lance tucked it into his pocket and walked her to the door.

"Thanks for your time." Jess shook his hand. "I'll let you know if we need anything else."

"You're welcome." Lance closed the door and rejoined the others. "Well, that was interesting."

"Very." Wanda agreed.

"Think we just got Kelly fired?" Tabby asked.

Lance raised his mug to her. "Here's hoping."

"Lance, remember what I taught you." Sara chided.

"Right." Lance sighed. "Don't wish misfortune on others."

"Exactly." Sara smiled sweetly. "It doesn't matter what happens to him; I'll make his life hell anyway."

**

* * *

AN: In case you hadn't noticed, Taryn is**_** not**_** going to be a first-class bee-otch in this and I changed her last name because I couldn't pronounce it. Please review!**


	32. Healing

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution, but I do own Lorelai LeBeau.**

**IMPORTANT! This chapter involves discussion of eating disorders, which may act as a relapse trigger.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Two – Healing

**November 1998**

It was amazing how a week in an infirmary could make one practically suicidal.

Lance, Anna and Scott visited her every day, although the latter spent the best part of an hour reciting '101 Reasons Why Kitty Pryde and Lance Alvers Should Not Date'.

She had to admit that it was a good monologue, but it got a little repetitive.

Apart from that, she was alone, except for when one of the others brought meals in or wandered in for a casual chat.

The only constant company Kitty had was Evan's mini-TV; Bobby had kindly set up a magnifying screen so she could watch it.

Flipping through channels, slowly getting more and more frustrated, she turned it off, dropping the remote onto the side table with more force than was necessary, her head falling back against the pillows with a sigh.

As far as she knew, she was the only person home aside from Jean, Jamie and Lorelai, who was fast asleep in a crib next to Kitty's bed, so her godmother could reach her easily if she woke up. Remy and Anna were taking Lexa into Bayville to sort out any paperwork that needed to be filled out, seeing as Wolverine was a little preoccupied with politics, as were all of the instructors.

But, of course, taking a sleeping newborn into Bayville, where many people were likely to recognise Anna from before, even if not from the news footage, meant that Lorelai was never going to stay sleeping and, after a lot of convincing, Anna had agreed to leave her daughter with Kitty, seeing as Jean was there to help if Lorelai did wake up.

Jean, she knew, was busy, in the early stages of wedding planning, as well as seeing what she could do about medical school – something she'd always wanted to do, before the exposure of mutants messed up her plans.

She could call Jamie; she knew he'd bring down a game or a puzzle or maybe even just sit and talk to her, but she could see the fear and worry in his eyes every time he visited her and knowing that she was scaring him like that was a hundred times worse than the pain and the boredom put together.

She'd heard the intercom buzzer ring about five minutes ago, but that wasn't an uncommon thing these days and she knew the chances of it being someone to visit her were slim.

This time, however, she was wrong.

"Hey, Kitty!"

Starting slightly, and wincing as a shiver of pain shot through both her legs, Kitty turned to the doorway, where a large floral arrangement was blocking the entrance. "Um … hello?"

There was a pause, the flowers rustled slightly and two heads appeared above them. "Hi!"

"Hey, girls!" Kitty felt a smile appear on her face as Taryn and Amanda somehow managed to wrestle the flowers into the infirmary. "Wow. These are lovely." She put a finger to her lips, gesturing to Lorelai, and both girls nodded, lowering their voices accordingly.

"They're not all from us." Taryn admitted. "Once we mentioned where we were going, half the businesses in Bayville managed to conjure some up out of nowhere."

"How are you?" Amanda asked.

Kitty smiled wryly. "That a courtesy question or a genuine one?"

"Genuine." Taryn assured her, arranging the flowers on another side table.

"Well, I can't so much as wiggle my toes without being in extreme pain, I'm isolated from everyone else and I'm so bored I may just kill someone for entertainment." Kitty listed.

"And here we thought you wouldn't want visitors." Amanda smiled sympathetically. "So who's this little one? Is this Rogue's daughter?"

"Anna." Kitty corrected. "Yes, this is Lorelai."

Before she could elaborate or anyone else could comment, Jamie bounced into the room. "Hey, Kitty!" As he did so, he tripped and stumbled; three hands reached towards him automatically and he froze, inches from the floor.

"Wow! I didn't know I could float!" Jamie stated happily, though was sensible enough to keep his voice down for the baby's sake.

"You can't." Kitty reminded him with a smile, as he got back to his feet. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Jamie hurried to her side and sat down next to her, curling up at her side like a puppy, being careful not to move her legs.

Kitty wrapped an arm around him and craned her head forward to see into the hallway. "Jean?"

"She's still upstairs, by the looks of it." Taryn told her. "Why?"

"She's the only one here." Kitty murmured, glancing down at Jamie. "Unless one of you suddenly developed telekinesis."

"Hang on." Amanda narrowed her eyes, staring at the desk in the corner for a few seconds, before sighing. "No, sorry. Taryn?"

Taryn followed Amanda's example and stared at the desk. Kitty shook her head with a smile at their antics, but her amusement was outweighed by confusion.

Jamie wasn't telekinetic and neither was she; there was no way he could have floated like that unless someone caught him.

But who?

Her question was answered when, under Taryn's gaze, one of the files on the desk shuddered and slowly floated into the air.

"Well, that's interesting." Kitty murmured.

Taryn stared at it. "Am I doing that?" She whispered.

"You must be." Kitty told her. "I'm not, Amanda's not, Jamie's not, Lorelai's asleep and Jean's upstairs. You're the only one left. Imagine it floating over to me."

A second later, the file travelled across the room and Kitty plucked it out of thin air. "That's very interesting."

"What's interesting?" Jean asked, taking that moment to wander in.

"We've got a new mutant on our hands." Kitty answered, nodding at Taryn. "Telekinesis, it looks like."

"Oh my God!" Taryn gasped. "How far along are you?"

"I'm due in six weeks." Jean told her, looking puzzled. "Didn't Scott tell you?"

"I haven't talked to Scott in a while." Taryn admitted. "May I …?" At her nod, she placed a gentle hand on her bump, feeling the thuds beneath. "Wow … Boy or girl?"

"We wanna be surprised." Jean admitted with a smile. "God knows how big the baby's gonna be though; I feel like a whale."

"Maybe it's twins." Kitty suggested, just as Lorelai let out a little wail and woke up.

"Kitty, I've had scans." Jean reminded her wearily; this wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. "They'd have told me if it was twins."

"Fair enough." Kitty shifted slightly and winced, realising her plan to watch Lorelai fell apart at this moment. "Amanda, could you …?"

"Sure." Amanda hurried to the crib and carefully lifted the baby. "Hey sweetie!"

Her crying faltered for a second when she was picked up, but the unfamiliar voice did little to comfort Lorelai and her screams increased again.

Kitty took her goddaughter into her arms, rocking her gently. "What's wrong, sweetie? I know you don't need changing because Mommy did that before she went out."

As if in response, Lorelai turned her head towards her, mouth opening and closing against her hand.

"She's hungry." Kitty concluded. "Jean, could you …?"

"Hang on." Jean pulled a bottle of milk from the fridge and heated it up quickly in the microwave kept in the infirmary for times when Beast was so engrossed in his work that he skipped meals.

Kitty cooed to the child, quietening her and keeping her occupied until Jean handed her the warmed bottle. Carefully shifting Lorelai to one arm, she dabbed some of the milk out onto her wrist. "Okay, that's fine."

"No!" Jean stopped her as she made to lick it off. "Kitty, that's breast milk, not formula."

"So? It's not like there's anything wrong with it." Kitty rolled her eyes, but wiped it off with a cloth anyway.

Jean pulled a face. "Kitty, that is milk squeezed from a person."

Kitty raised an eyebrow as Lorelai began feeding contentedly. "As opposed to milk squeezed from a cow?"

"I hadn't thought of it that way." Jean admitted. "Beside the point. Taryn, we really should go and talk to your mom."

"Probably." Taryn agreed, not sounding too thrilled at the prospect.

"Why don't we invite her over for dinner?" Kitty suggested. "Then we can show her the school at the same time."

Taryn visibly cheered up. "I like that idea better."

"So do I." Jean admitted. "Professor's better that this anyway. I'll …" She trailed off absently, glancing at the clock.

Kitty remembered her saying that she'd wanted to stop by the Boarding House that day and followed her gaze, realising that if she was going to, she really needed to leave now or miss dinner. She was just about to suggest that Jean go, because she could show Taryn round – like Amanda, she'd never seen the lower part of the school … aside from the part they were currently in – when she remembered that she was in no position to do just that.

Before she could say anything the doors to the infirmary opened again and Belladonna ushered Warren in ahead of her.

"When I said the sling had to stay on, I meant it." She was saying. "Now sit!"

"But my arm's fine!" Warren rolled his eyes.

"Hairline fractures take at least a month to heal." Belladonna told him, rooting for another sling in one of the drawers. "Has it been a month?"

Warren sighed. "No. And we have company. You wanna introduce us, Jeannie?"

"Don't call me that." Jean chided. "Bella, Warren, this is Taryn Winters, possible new student, and Amanda Sefton, Kurt's girlfriend. Girls, Belladonna Boudreaux and Warren Worthington, also known as the Angel. For obvious reasons."

Warren grinned at them, his wings fluttering behind him. "Ladies."

Kitty suddenly had an idea. "Hey, Warren, I think Jean's got somewhere she needs to be; you mind giving Taryn the tour?"

"Sure." Warren glanced at his arm. "I'd better let Bella do her thing first, though, or she's liable to kill me."

"See?" Belladonna smirked. "You do get me."

Jean sighed in veiled relief. "Thanks, Warren; you're an angel."

"Getting old!" Warren called after her as she hurried out again.

"There you go, sugar." Bella tied the sling off. "Now, for the love of God, keep it on."

"Yes, ma'am." Warren stood up and offered Taryn his good arm. "Shall we?"

Amanda smirked as the two left. "You planned that."

"Unfortunately, I've nothing better to do." Kitty placed the empty bottle on the nightstand and rubbed Lorelai's back gently. "You alright, sweetie?"

"Uh huh." Jamie mumbled, not having moved from her side. "'M just glad you're feeling better." He tilted his head back to look at her. "You are feeling better, right?"

"Yeah, sweetie, I am." Kitty assured him. "You okay, Amanda? Jubes said you called at the beginning of the fight; Kurt didn't warn you?"

"Not really." Amanda shook her head. "He met me at the park the night before and was acting a little weird … like it was the last time we were gonna see each other … He told me he loved me and he didn't want me to doubt that and he just wanted me safe … And then I turned the TV on the next morning and …" She swallowed hard, blinking back tears. "I thought that was it."

"We all did." Kitty murmured, looking down at her goddaughter, who let out a loud belch as though to lighten the mood. "Your parents still upset with you two being together?"

"Yeah." Amanda pulled a face. "It's not like they can still yell at me; I mean, I'm 18 in January."

Kitty nodded understandingly. "New Year's Day, right?"

"That's right." Amanda confirmed. "They're dragging me on a trip as a birthday present; reckon it'll take the whole year. I'd be grateful, but I know it's …"

"To keep you away from him." Kitty finished.

"Exactly." Amanda sighed. "Do you have this trouble? With your parents and Lance, I mean."

"My parents haven't spoken to me in over a year." Kitty admitted. "They didn't even call on my birthday this year. Someone in Northbrook must have seen what happened last week even if they didn't. I think they're mad at me."

"I could understand not calling because of that if you hadn't been hurt," Amanda frowned, "but you were really badly injured. You nearly died; you'd think that'd mean something."

"When I was eleven, I passed out from malnutrition, and the doctors diagnosed me with 'stress-induced anorexia'." Kitty told her quietly. "My parents discharged me rather than let me have the treatment so no one knew they had a daughter who starved herself; that wasn't in the plan. Mutant wasn't either. It's all about image."

"Isn't that child-abuse or something?" Amanda sounded horrified.

Kitty had never really considered it. "No. No, I think they honestly believed that not eating was a choice I was making and it was in the beginning. They just had such a set idea of what they wanted me to be and it felt like food was the only thing I had any control over anymore. But it reached the point where I just didn't want to eat and, if I did, I had to throw up afterwards … it was like a compulsion …" She trailed off, chuckling. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go off on a tangent."

Amanda patted her hand. "That's okay. How did you get over it?"

"Lance." Kitty smiled fondly. "He made sure I went home with him for lunch, then made sure I ate, then held me until we had to go back to school so I didn't bring it up again. That's why he hates it when I pretend to be someone else to keep the others happy."

"He's worried it's gonna happen again." Amanda whispered. "He was a good friend."

"My best friend." Kitty corrected with a fond smile. "He still is."

Voices drifted into the infirmary from upstairs, signally the first batch of returns, but none of them moved until the door opened again and Lexa and Anna jogged in.

Kitty wasn't sure if it was their general attitude or the fact that both women viewed Logan as a father-figure, but the two had become very close very quickly, almost as close as Anna and Kitty. "Hey."

"Hey." Anna greeted. "Amanda, Kurt's looking for you."

"Thanks." Amanda grinned at Kitty. "Feel better."

"I will." Kitty called after her.

"And, Jamie, Iceman's looking for you." Lexa told him, smiling kindly; like the rest of the X-Men, she'd taken him on as a little brother. "He's running a training session."

"Thanks." Jamie got up and stretched, before kissing Kitty on the cheek. "See you later."

"I will, hun; thanks for visiting." Kitty smiled, handing Lorelai to her mother.

"How was she?" Anna asked worriedly.

"She was a little angel." Kitty reassured her. "Woke up about twenty minutes ago; I gave her a bottle and she took all of it."

"Thanks, Kit." Anna smoothed back Lorelai's dark wisps of hair and deposited her back in her crib as she fell asleep again. She gazed at her daughter for a few minutes, before turning back to Kitty, looking oddly triumphant. "We have had an idea."

"An idea?" Kitty repeated warily. "I thought you were just getting Lex legally registered?"

"We were." Anna nodded. "But we had an idea at the same time. When I touch someone, their powers flow into me, right?"

"So, using circuit logic," Lexa added, not giving Kitty a chance to answer, "if you were phased through that person, their powers should flow into you."

_But … that would mean … _Kitty looked from one to the other, trying desperately to quash the hope rising within her. "Are you saying … You think that would work?"

"There's only one way to find out." Lexa pointed out reasonably, holding out her hand.

Tentatively, Kitty reached out and passed her hand through Lexa's at exactly the same time as Anna touched her elbow.

A soft shiver ran through her, but she didn't feel any different.

"How do you feel?" Lexa asked.

"I don't …" Kitty froze, her vision slowly turning a familiar shade of scarlet. There was a powerful heat behind her eyes, her companions ducked and the desk opposite her disintegrated before everything returned to normal. For a second, she couldn't speak for shock, but she quickly recovered her composure. "Well, unless you're a long-lost Summers, something went wrong."

"Is she?" Anna frowned, running to the filing cabinet and sorting through it. "We have _got_ to get this thing reorganised." She pulled Scott and Lexa's files and flipped through them; each file contained general information, medical history, mutant history and a DNA profile. Stopping at the latter, she carefully compared them, praying she wouldn't need a more precise test.

She didn't.

"Not even close." Lexa concluded, reading over her shoulder. "Why didn't the wall cave in?"

"We reinforced the walls with ruby quartz and adamantium." Anna explained, putting the files away. "That was pointless, really; even if she was, you shouldn't have Scott's powers."

"When was the last time you absorbed Scott?" Lexa asked.

"Erm …" Anna frowned in thought. "About a year ago. Over that. When Mesmero possessed me. It can't be that. How are your legs?"

Bracing herself, Kitty wiggled her toes, but the anticipated pain never came. "It doesn't hurt."

"Hang on." Lexa took a pair of scissors and carefully took apart the casts as Anna collected the papers that hadn't been destroyed by the blast. First one leg, then the other … the blood was gone, the skin healed and the bones almost miraculously repaired.

"Oh God …" Sitting up, Kitty swung her legs over the side of the cot and stood up, feeling her legs shake from lack of use. "Oh my God …" She spun around, unable to stop the giddy laugh that bubbled from her mouth. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Lexa accepted the hug she flung at her with a smile. "You'd do the same thing for us, Kitty, and you know it."

"Not the point!" Kitty rolled her eyes. "We have to go tell the others!"

"I'm right behind you, Kit." Anna told her, picking Lorelai up again. "Lex?"

"I'm a bit tired actually." Lexa admitted. "And I've got the beginnings of a headache. I'm gonna go lie down for a bit."

"We're in the infirmary." Anna reminded her.

Lexa smirked weakly. "It's not _that_ bad." She left the infirmary behind them, but stopped at the first elevator, taking it straight up to the second floor.

It was quiet up here and she made her way to her room, pushing the door open. The window was open and the curtain billowed in the breeze.

She was sure she hadn't left it that way.

Lexa sniffed the air. Someone had been in her room, but they weren't there anymore, so she crossed the floor and pulled the window shut. She sniffed again, recognising the scent.

_Now what was Quicksilver doing in my room?_

She turned toward her bed, only to see a plain white card lying on the sheets …

* * *

Pietro and Lance were down on the beach skipping stones across the water, the same beach Lance had once sat on with his sister while she poured her heart out to him.

The water here was still, more like a lake than part of the ocean, and the wind was so calm today that no waves broke against the shore.

Both were silent.

Lance was deep in thought; he couldn't stand seeing Kitty in so much pain and felt utterly helpless. There was nothing he could do to make her feel any better and he hated it. His mind raced, trying to think of something – anything – that could help her.

Unbeknownst to him – and probably for the best – Pietro's thoughts were on the same person … sort of.

When he'd first arrived at Bayville, Kitty had caught his eye. It would have been difficult for her not to; they shared several classes and she was one of the X-Men, as well as being rather attractive.

But she was off-limits right from the start, whether it was because of Mystique and his father or his friendship with Lance.

Then she and Lance started dating and it became easier for him to speak his mind; no one else in the Brotherhood minded having her around and he was naturally flirtatious around women anyway. She would laugh and brush it off as a joke, just as Tabby did when he flirted with her.

But it wasn't a joke with her. For a short while, he'd fancied himself as in love with her.

Then, when he'd visited Sara with Lance and the others, he'd found himself talking to his friend and team-leader and Lance's description of love was different to his own.

He began to wonder if maybe he was idealising her, or even if he was in love with the idea of being in love.

He still didn't really know what he was feeling. He loved her, yes, but he wasn't in love with her and it wasn't the same thing he felt for Wanda or Tabby or even Jean.

And then he met Lexa and God help him if she wasn't the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.

Her past should have scared him, but instead it made him reach out to her.

Her affiliation should discourage him, but instead it made her more desirable.

He had tried telling himself that it was pure lust which would soon blow over, but that morning he'd woken from a dream about her and it hadn't been the sort of dream he'd been expecting. He couldn't remember even kissing her in it. He'd been watching TV in one of the armchairs in the living room and Lexa had been curled up in his lap, reading a book, her head resting on his chest. Occasionally, she had sighed and snuggled closer to him.

_Strange, because she didn't strike me as the snuggling type._ Pietro sighed inwardly as he remembered the four words he'd whispered in the dream that had made him wake up. _"I love you, Lexa."_

"What's up?" Lance asked, alerting him to the fact that he'd sighed out loud.

Pietro considered his answer carefully. "What does it mean when you have a dream about a girl being your girlfriend, but you're not doing anything … like that?" Voicing the question made it sound even more pathetic and he desperately wished he could take it back and give another answer.

"I'm not really the person you wanna talk to about dreams." Lance admitted. "Jean, on the other hand, had a gift for stuff like that …"

"No." Pietro shook his head. "Never mind."

"You know the girl?" Lance asked.

Pietro hesitated. "Yes."

"Who is she?" Lance pressed.

Pietro sighed again. "Lexa."

"X-23?" Lance raised an eyebrow. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Quicksilver."

"Tell me about it." Pietro groaned. "It's a fluke, right? Just a crush?"

"Probably." Lance shrugged. "I guess it depends on whether you believe in love at first sight."

Pietro groaned. "Alright, I'm changing the subject now. How's Kitty?"

Lance hesitated. "Coping. She's alright if she doesn't move, but she's …"

"Depressed?" Pietro guessed. "Yeah, I don't blame her."

"You can go and visit her, you know." Lance told her. "Jean wouldn't stop you. And neither would most of the others." He smirked. "Or you could get your girlfriend to sneak you in."

"She's not my girlfriend." Pietro told him. "And I can't. I guess I kinda feel like it's my fault."

"Why?" Lance frowned. "Because of Magneto? Come on, Pietro, you know damn well you've got nothing to do with him and he's got nothing to do with you."

"I know." Pietro sighed. "I just feel like … if maybe I'd talked to him, he would never have been possessed in the first place."

"You couldn't have stopped it. It wasn't your fault."

"I know that too." Pietro shook his head. "How you holding up? I mean, she's your girlfriend."

Lance selected a particularly smooth stone and flung it at the water. Despite the frustration behind it, the pebble skipped a good six or seven times before sinking beneath the surface.

"Nice one." Pietro commented absently. "I'll take that as 'not so good'."

"I can't do a damn thing." Lance told him in a low voice, dropping to sit on the sand. "I wanna help her, but there's not a damn thing I can do."

Pietro clapped a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly in a familiar gesture of fraternal solidarity. "She knows that."

"Yeah, I know." Lance ran a hand through his hair. "But I can see it in her eyes; she just wants all this to be over and I can't help her with that. She's in my head; it's like a constant guilt trip. Sometimes I can actually hear her calling me."

"Yeah, me too." Pietro agreed absently, seconds before a frown overtook his features. "Wait a second … I can."

"Lance! Pietro!"

Pietro spun around to see Kitty sprinting towards them. "Unbelievable!" Being the only one of the two men standing, he caught her and embraced her tightly. "How?"

"It's a long story." Kitty grinned, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "And stop blaming yourself; it's not your fault." She murmured, before releasing him and flying into her boyfriend's arms.

Quite literally, Pietro realised. "Since when can you fly?" He got no reply and rolled his eyes, waiting for the two to separate again.

After what felt like an age – to him, at least – the two pulled apart, though didn't release each other, and he smirked. "How you doin'?"

"Fantastic." Lance grinned, kissing Kitty's forehead.

"So you wanna explain what happened?" Pietro asked, curiosity more that peaked.

"Like I said, it's a long story." Kitty shrugged, leaning against Lance. "To cut it short, let's just say Lexa and Anna had an idea and I now have several people's powers for an undetermined amount of time." She smiled at their questioning expressions. "Scott and Lexa's for certain. And Jean's apparently, if I was flying just then."

"You were." Pietro nodded. "Either that or you got mine, but you weren't moving fast enough for your feet to leave the ground."

"Jean's it is then." Kitty agreed, looking around. "You hear that?"

They fell into silence, but all Lance and Pietro could hear was the water and the soft cry of a seabird in the distance.

"No." Lance responded after a while. "But if you've got Lexa's powers, you'll have enhanced hearing, right?"

"Oh yeah." Kitty realised, closing her eyes. "It's … It's Lexa." She frowned. "That can't be right; she was fine when we left the infirmary."

Pietro stiffened involuntarily. "Where is she?"

Kitty tilted her head back and pointed to the cliff-top high above them. "Up there."

Pietro felt his stomach drop with a sickening swooping sensation. "I'll go." He sped up the cliff, his powers making scaling the sheer rocky face easy, and reached the top in a matter of seconds.

Now he slowed his movements, seeing Lexa standing on the wrong side of the low fence that guarded the edge, leaning against it. Her hands clutched the wood so tightly her knuckles had turned white and her tear-streaked gaze didn't move from the horizon, even when he stopped behind her.

"Lexa?"

She didn't respond.

Pietro had to take a guess what was wrong. "Is it HYDRA? Have they contacted you?" He asked, remembering that they were the reason behind the only other time he'd seen her lose her composure. _And I'm going by, what, a week? What is it about this girl?_

Lexa stiffened, confirming his guess, but didn't say anything.

Pietro felt a rush of hot anger. _How dare they? Haven't they done enough damage? _He took a deep breath, determined to quash it; there would be a time and a place for that, and this wasn't it. "Any reason why you look like you're about to jump?" He asked lightly, trying to force a response from her, anything he could use as a starting point.

To his surprise, it worked.

"They're after me." Lexa whispered, still not moving. "They'll come after each and every one of you to get to me."

'_You'? Surely the X-Men are more likely targets and I'm not one of them._

Pietro ignored it for now, passing it off as a figure of speech. He had more pressing matters to attend to. "Lexa …" He chose his words carefully, speaking slowly for once. "Come on. Come back to this side and we'll talk about this. Don't let them control you."

Lexa's grip tightened even more on the fence, if that were possible. "I don't have a choice. They created me; they made me who I am."

"No!" Pietro grabbed her arm as she released the fence and shifted forwards. In a second, he realised that reaching out telepathically in the hope that someone would hear him wasn't an option; he needed to focus on her. "No, they didn't. They may have given you these …" he shifted his grip to her hand, running his thumb over her deceptively smooth knuckles, causing her to finally meet his eyes "… but they didn't make you who you are. You broke the mould, Lex; you left. You nearly took them out. Would Weapon X-23 have done that?"

"No." Lexa admitted.

"And you helped Kitty walk again." Pietro added, remembering Kitty's sort-of explanation on the beach. "Would Weapon X-23 have cared?"

"No." Lexa whispered.

Seeing that she was still reluctant to move, Pietro took a chance and took matters into his own hands; before she even realised she'd moved, he had her standing on the right side of the fence, one firm but gentle arm around her waist in an attempt to keep her there, although he had a feeling that he would be no match for her if she decided to act anyway. "You're not X-23 anymore." He told her softly, wiping her tears away. "You're Lexa."

"What's the difference?" Lexa asked bitterly. "They're the same person."

"No, they're not." Pietro insisted. "X-23 was a weapon, created to be an emotionless killer. Lexa is an amazing, compassionate, beautiful woman who …" He cut himself off abruptly, realising the words that were about to spill out. _I guess that answers my question._

"Who …?" Lexa prompted, curiosity beating the internal battle she was facing.

Pietro met her eyes, steeling himself. "Who taught me that it is possible to fall in love at first sight." He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all week."

Lexa searched his eyes, her expression unreadable. After a few minutes of silence, she sighed deeply and pulled a white card from her pocket, pressing it into his hand.

Reluctantly tearing his eyes from her face, Pietro glanced down at it, unfolding it to see the words _He's first_ glimmering red in the afternoon winter sun. "Who's he?"

Lexa didn't answer at first and he tilted the card to see that the red ink was still wet, leaving small trails as it began to trickle towards the edge.

That was when he realised that wet ink should probably smell like ink, and yet there was none of the familiar smell he would associate with that. A horrible thought occurred to him. "Is that written in blood?"

He looked up again in time to see fresh tears glistening in her eyes as she nodded.

"Yours."

**

* * *

AN: Review please!**


	33. Attack

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I know, quick update; I wouldn't get used to it.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Three – Attack

**November 1998**

"Mine?" Pietro repeated.

"Yours." Lexa confirmed, her voice gaining strength when he didn't move. "I found it in my room. At first I thought you'd put it there for some kind of joke, but then I realised it smelled like you because …" She trailed off, knowing there was no need for her to finish.

"Okay." Pietro realised his voice was little more than a whisper and cleared his throat hastily, using the time to wrap his head around it. "Okay, they're scared."

"How did you get there?" Lexa asked, a note of speculation entering her tone.

"Because they're contradicting themselves." Pietro told her. "They want you back as a weapon, right? But, if that was true, threatening us wouldn't help, because you wouldn't care."

"But I _do_ care." Lexa protested, before realisation dawned on her face. "You're right."

"I always am." Pietro smirked, eliciting a smile. "It'll be okay, Lex."

"Somehow, I doubt …" Lexa trailed off, sniffing the air, before the colour drained from her face and she grabbed his arm. "Duck!"

The both dropped to the floor just in time to avoid the round of gunshots that flew over their heads towards the horizon.

When they subsided, Pietro straightened up to face their attacker; a masked man in HYDRA uniform, aiming a gun in their direction.

He didn't have time to figure out how they'd gotten into the grounds without alerting mansion security; sure he'd done it, but he was moving too fast for the sensors to pick him up.

"You don't want to hurt her." Pietro stated, his voice a lot calmer than he felt.

"No." The man agreed. "I want to kill you."

Instinctively, Pietro pushed Lexa behind him. "Let's talk about this rationally …"

"Too late." The gun moved so that it was aiming directly between his eyes and what little could be seen of the assassin's face twisted into a smirk. "Any last words?"

Pietro's mind raced and he made a decision, hearing a voice in his head that definitely wasn't his telling him that help was on its way. "Just two." He smirked, knowing he had his attention. "You're screwed."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's an interesting gun to use." Pietro commented. "I was expecting some kind of machine gun … maybe a semi-automatic … but that holds, what, seven bullets?"

"Six." Lexa corrected from behind him.

"And you're out." Pietro concluded.

"No, I'm not."

"Mmm, I think you are." Pietro insisted cheerfully. "Your first shot missed her, the next two missed me, the next two missed her and the last one missed me. That's six."

"No, it's not."

"Yeah, it is." Pietro counted them off on his fingers. "One plus two plus two plus one. That's six."

Their adversary rolled his eyes. "Even so, I only shot at her twice. So that's one plus one plus two plus one, which is only five. And you know where the last bullet's going?"

"Nowhere." Pietro answered. "Because it doesn't exist. And even if it did, that would be one plus _two _plus one plus one, not one plus _one_ plus two plus one."

"Okay, one plus two plus …" The assassin trailed off, realising what Pietro was trying to. "Shut up! The point is, there's one bullet left in this gun and guess who's gonna get it!"

On cue, the ground rumbled beneath him, causing him to stagger. Taking a chance, Pietro grabbed his wrist and forced his gun-hand up, bringing the man to his knees and allowing him to disarm him.

Now he looked up to see Lance and Kitty approaching; she must have flown them up from the beach and landed a few hundred along the cliff edge.

"We'll take him to Wolverine and get hold of SHIELD." Kitty told them, concern in her expression. "You two okay?"

They both nodded, Pietro still pinning the man down while Lance searched his pockets, pulling out a restraining device and using it to bind him.

"You can let him go now."

As Pietro stood back, Lexa approached him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Pietro assured her, wrapping an arm around her subconsciously. "Are you?"

"You didn't have to do that." Lexa told him quietly. "I could have handled it. What if he'd shot you anyway?"

"Lex, the gun was empty." Pietro insisted, picking it up. "One plus two plus two plus one is …"

A loud bang echoed through the trees and one of the smaller branches fell to the ground.

"One plus two …" Pietro muttered.

"Plus _one_." Lexa smirked.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Learn to count, Quicksilver. Gimme a hand, Lance."

The couple seized an arm each and unceremoniously dragged the man through the trees in the direction of the mansion. Kitty could probably have floated him, but they seemed to have reached a silent decision that he didn't deserve the dignity.

"How did HYDRA get hold of an assassin?" Pietro asked when they were out of earshot.

"They train them." Lexa pointed out. "What do you think they wanted me for?"

"Wait, you're a trained assassin?" Pietro raised an eyebrow; she nodded slowly. "Then why was I the one facing him down?"

"You were having a guy moment." Lexa answered sweetly. "You really should have let me handle it though; I'm the one who can heal from things."

"And I've got super-speed, remember?" Pietro teased, taking her hands in his. "I can outrun any bullet."

Lexa would have laughed, but she was very aware of the gap between them diminishing. Seconds before he would have kissed her, she picked up another unfamiliar scent on the wind and several things happened before she could react.

Pietro's eyes widened and, in a split second, they had switched places. Then there was a loud gunshot and, painfully slowly for anyone, let alone Pietro, he sagged forwards into her arms and she staggered slightly under his weight.

"Outrun that."

To her horror, blood began to seep through Pietro's shirt and she sank to her knees, pulling her sweater off, shivering in just a thin t-shirt in the cold air, to press it against the wound before she allowed herself to look up at their attacker.

It wasn't a HYDRA assassin.

She recognised him from town that morning; Anna had pointed him out to her.

It was Duncan Matthews.

"You bastard." Lexa growled. "What did he ever do to you?"

"He was born." Duncan smirked coldly. "Him and the rest of you mutant freaks."

Lexa thought about fighting, but she knew that wouldn't help her or Pietro. "You'll never get away with this."

"Sure I will." Duncan tossed the gun over the cliff edge and she could hear the distant sound of the sea swallowing it. "No evidence."

"That's what you think." Lexa muttered, glancing involuntarily up at the security camera affixed to one of the nearby trees. "Get the hell out of here. Now!" She watched him run off before turning her attention back to Pietro, her blue sweater now dark red. Helpless, she resorted to screaming for help, both out loud and in her head.

In the distance, Lexa could hear people responding to her call, but she couldn't focus on them, even when Jean's voice floated into her head, asking what was wrong.

Her world had been reduced to the young man in her arms. Her hands shaking, she searched desperately for a pulse.

For a heart-stopping moment, she couldn't find one, then, to her relief, she felt a faint beating beneath her fingers.

There was a soft bamf and a smell of sulphur and the X-Men were standing beside them, the New Mutants still in uniform from their training session.

"And Kurt's." Kitty concluded. "Interesting."

"And helpful, considering Kurt and Amanda are God only knows where." Bobby added.

"What happened?" Lance asked, ignoring the byplay and kneeling in front of Lexa and Pietro.

"Duncan Matthews." Lexa answered without looking up. "One bullet."

"Oh God …" Jean joined them with difficulty, helping Lexa roll him onto his back. "Iceman, flashlight."

"Got it." Bobby pulled out the small flashlight they all kept in the belt of their uniform and handed it to her.

"Thanks." Gently lifting his eyelids, Jean shone the light into his eyes. "Pupils are reactive; that's good. Kitty, if I levitate him, do you think you can teleport us back to the infirmary without making this worse?"

"I think so." Kitty nodded.

"Jean, just one minute …" Scott began.

"Scott, I'm pregnant and worried; do _not_ argue with me." Jean snapped. "Why don't you worry about how exactly Duncan and a HYDRA assassin got past security?"

"Fine." Scott sighed. "Lexa, you'd better come with me; you know how they think."

"No." Lexa shook her head.

Scott sighed again. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Neither did I." Lexa glanced down at Pietro. "Matthews followed HYDRA in; it must be something fairly simple." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "He took the bullet for me, Scott; I need to stay with him."

The shock of this admission stopped any protests Scott might have had and he simply nodded, gesturing for Bobby to follow him.

"Someone call the police." Jean called over her shoulder, tossing the flashlight back to Bobby as she did.

"Jean, is that going to help?" Kitty asked quietly.

"He is _not_ getting away with it and we can't mete out our own justice." Jean stated sharply, brushing her cousin's bangs out of his face, the tender gesture in sharp contrast to her tone.

"Already dialling." Jubilee assured her.

"And I'll call Wanda." Lance added, pulling his phone out. "Should I call Aunt Judy as well?"

"Not yet." Jean told him. "Wait until we know what's going on first; there's no point worrying her if it's a flesh wound. Boys?"

Roberto and Sam stepped forwards, helping her to her feet, and Pietro floated into the air. Jean put a hand on his arm, gesturing for Lexa to do the same, and Kitty took his hand.

With another bamf of smoke, they were in the infirmary and Jean lowered Pietro onto one of the cots, calling for Belladonna at the same time.

The three women were gently but firmly shooed from the room and sat outside, waiting in companionable silence for news.

* * *

Scott was at a loss. He just couldn't see anyway someone had gotten through or over the fence without alerting the sensors.

"Hey Scott!" Bobby called. "What about this?"

Desperate for some answers, Scott jogged alongside the perimeter fence to where the other man was standing end; the fence didn't run all the way to the cliff edge, stopping instead at the protective wooden fence that ran all the way along.

"What?" Scott prompted.

"Watch." Grasping the edge of their fence, Bobby climbed over the other railing to edge along the cliff edge and climb back over the other side. "That's how they got in."

"We're gonna need to fix that." Scott stated, a scowl on his face.

"Yep." Bobby agreed, climbing back in the same way. "Here." He aimed his hand at the gap and created a solid wall of ice in the gap.

"That's gonna melt." Scott pointed out.

"It'll do for the moment." Bobby shrugged. "Do we still have the stuff left over from building the fence the first time?"

"Yeah, it's in the garage." Scott nodded. "C'mon, Iceman. We may as well get that done now. I don't wanna take any chances."

* * *

Pietro woke up in a clean, white room, his surroundings slowly coming into focus as he opened his eyes. _I've been here before … Where am I? _He tried to sit up and a sharp pain ran through his head. _Ow … Okay, won't do that again? What happened?_

Immediately, everything came back to him; HYDRA, gunshots, Lexa …

_Lexa!_

He shifted again, his right hand creeping over to his left shoulder, half-expecting to still feel blood, but the wound had been bandaged and the movement drew his attention to the fact that Lexa was asleep in the chair next to his bed, her head resting on her folded arms.

He tried to sit up again to no avail, but this time she stirred; stifling a yawn, she sat up, running a tired hand through her hair, her eyes travelling around the room before landing on him. "Pietro?" She was wide awake in an instant. "How do you feel?"

Pietro tried to reply, but his throat was dry and his voice wouldn't respond. Thankfully, she seemed to understand, because she handed him a glass of water, which he drank gratefully. "My head hurts." He told her.

Lexa took the glass back and placed it on the side-table. "That's odd, since you were shot in the shoulder." Her voice was shaky, despite her casual tone. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Pietro asked vaguely.

"Do what?" Lexa repeated incredulously. "Do what? Pietro, you took a freakin' bullet for me; why?"

"I didn't think." Pietro admitted quietly. "My mind works faster than everyone else's and I make mistakes faster as well. But I'd do it again, Lexa. I'm still not entirely sure why, but I would."

Lexa shook her head with a noise that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a sob. "Oh, Pietro, what am I gonna do with you?"

Pietro smiled sweetly. "Keep me and love me?"

This time, Lexa definitely laughed, dropping a soft kiss on his cheek. "You know what? That may just be the answer."

**

* * *

AN: I've removed 'Of Love and Life' (the sequel to 'All's Fair') simply because I'm starting to confuse myself, so I'll finish rewriting and reposting this and then I'll turn my attention back to that one, kay? Review please!**


	34. Love is All You Need

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Four – Love is All You Need

**December 1998**

By the beginning of December, the hell of Apocalypse had been driven from memory. In fact, it was shaping up to be one of the best winters in X-Men history.

Lorelai LeBeau had already surprised everyone by blowing up her teddy-bear when she was crying, disproving the theory that mutation appeared around puberty; apparently having two mutant parents was enough to cause powers to manifest earlier.

Pietro and Lexa, although they hadn't started dating after the HYDRA debacle, were spending a lot of time together, much to Logan's consternation, but she had met his concerns with a simple, "He's a good friend, Wolverine, and he makes me feel normal for once."

It was a mark of how fond Logan had become of his 'daughter' that he dropped the subject after that.

Lorna and Alex had also slipped comfortably into friendship, occasionally having conversations that lasted for hours and switched subjects so often that no one could keep track, except Kitty, who had apparently had had her fair share of similar conversations with Lance back in Northbrook.

"I'm telling you," Kitty was saying through the bathroom door, "we once had a ten minute conversation about what we would be if the world was a sandwich." She laughed quietly at the memory, leaning against the way. She'd been talking to Jubilee about it when the other girl had ducked into a bathroom as they passed, telling her to carry on as she did.

Kitty frowned and tapped on the door, realising that she'd been in there a while and there were strange noises coming from inside. "Jubes? Hun, you okay? I'm coming in." She phased through the door to find Jubilee hunched over the toilet, emptying her stomach. "Oh honey …"

Jubilee took gulps of air, resting her forehead against the rim as Kitty pulled her hair back, rubbing her back soothingly. "Thanks."

Kitty pressed a hand against her forehead. "I don't think you've got a fever. Maybe it was something you ate?"

"I've been eating the same as the rest of you." Jubilee pointed out. "The only other thing it could be is …" She trailed off, her face paling. "Shit."

"What?" Kitty asked, moving back as Jubilee pushed her hand away and stumbled to the medicine cabinet.

"Shit, shit, shit …" Jubilee mumbled, rooting through it until she found what she was looking for.

"Oh my God …" Kitty whispered. "You and Bobby …?"

"Only once." Jubilee stared at the box. "But once is enough."

"_We'll always have tonight."_

"Come on." Kitty wrapped an arm around her shoulders and phased them back into the hallway. "At least do it in the privacy of your own room."

"Hang on." Jubilee put a hand out and stopped Jamie as he ran past. "Jamie, where's Bobby?"

"Outside, I think." Jamie answered. "He got a letter from his parents and went out there to read it; haven't seen him since."

Jubilee slipped the small box into her pocket. "I'm gonna go find him, Kitty."

Kitty nodded. "That's a better idea; forget mine." She smiled supportively. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Jubilee muttered, grabbing her jacket from hallway closet and opening the front door. "What the …?"

At her surprised exclamation, Kitty joined her, but she had no explanation either.

Yesterday, despite the bitterly cold weather, the front door had opened out onto blue skies and green grass, even if the trees were now bare and lifeless.

Now, the view was white, but this was no winter wonderland. The wind howled, chilling them both to the bone, and a fierce blizzard raged, reducing their vision to a haze of snow.

"It was fine this morning." Kitty commented, stating the obvious but feeling the need to say something. "Maybe Storm's having a bad day."

"That's not me." The woman in question disagreed from behind them.

"There's no way _this_ is natural." Kitty insisted. "You think it has something to do with the letter Bobby got?"

"From his parents?" Jubilee questioned. "Can't be. He's always gotten on fine with them. If this is him, something must have upset him."

"Well …" Kitty hesitated. "When everyone found out we were mutant, Bobby told us that his parents didn't even know he was mutant and I don't think they ever found out. Did you get a call from them when we flew out?"

"I don't think so …" Jubilee thought back. "No. No, I didn't, because I remember being relieved that I didn't have to talk to them. Didn't think I could handle it. Could this be Bobby?"

"Theoretically." Ororo agreed slowly. "I'll go and talk to Professor Xavier. In the meantime, Jubilee, try and find him."

Jubilee nodded, glancing at her coat. "I'm gonna need a thicker jacket."

* * *

Finding Bobby turned out to be easier said than done.

Half-blinded by snow and ice, Jubilee fought her way through the gale-force wind, having to scrunch up her face in order to see more than a few feet in front of her face. "Bobby?" She squinted towards the summer-house, just able to make out the shape of her boyfriend slumped inside it, apparently oblivious to the harsh conditions around him. "Bobby!"

Inside, the wind wasn't as harsh, but it was still bitterly cold and she collapsed to her knees beside him, shivering violently. "Bobby … Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

In response, Bobby thrust the letter he was holding into her hand. Squinting at the text through the swirling blizzard, she could only just make out certain phrases, but it was enough to make her blood boil.

'… _never been so ashamed … disgusted to learn … no child of ours …'_

It was signed _William and Madeline Drake_. Not _Mom and Dad_, or even the less personal _Mother and Father_.

"Bobby …" Jubilee reached out to touch his face; his skin was ice-cold. "Honey?"

"Why can't they love me?" Bobby whispered, though she still wasn't entirely sure he really knew she was there; a tear rolled down his cheek and froze instantly. "I tried, Jubes. I tried to be a good kid; a good son. What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing!" Jubilee seized his shoulders and shook him lightly to get his attention. "Bobby, there is nothing wrong with you. This is their problem; not yours. C'mon; let's get back inside."

"No." Bobby shook his head. "No, I need to be out here, Jubes."

As he finally met her eyes, Jubilee bit back a gasp, realising that his dark brown eyes had changed to a stormy-grey, in a side-effect to his mutation she'd yet to see. "Bobby, listen to me; you're having some kind of power surge. You need to calm down."

"I can't." Bobby admitted in a low voice. "I don't know how to stop it."

Holding him close, Jubilee could feel his heart starting to race, the wind picked up even more and she knew she had to do something. Threading her fingers into his hair, she kissed him passionately, praying that he'd start focusing on her as opposed to his powers.

It only took a few minutes for Bobby to respond, his arms snaking round her waist to pull her into his lap.

Gradually, the wind dropped and the snow began to settle into soft flurries, looking more like a Christmas card than a winter nightmare.

Gently pulling away, Bobby rested his forehead against hers "I love you."

"I love you too." Jubilee searched his gaze, relieved to see that his eyes were back to their usual colour. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live." Bobby shrugged. "I don't need them."

"No, you don't." Jubilee agreed without hesitation.

"I need you." Bobby added softly.

"You've got me." Jubilee whispered.

Bobby held her close. "I can't lose you."

"You never will." Jubilee leaned up to kiss him and stood, pulling him up with her. "Come on. I think that Professor X will wanna talk to you about this."

"You're probably right." Bobby sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Alright, time to face the music."

"You didn't do anything wrong." Jubilee reminded him gently, pushing open the side door to the mansion; the journey back didn't seem to take nearly as long, probably because they weren't fighting the elements at the same time. She stayed at his side until they reached the professor's office, where she slipped out from under his arm and kissed his cheek. "I'll meet you in your room, okay?"

Bobby nodded and she squeezed his hand once before heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

Ray was lounging on his bed when she knocked on the door, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. "Come …" He trailed off. "Jubes, most people wait for an invitation before they open the door."

"I'm not most people." Jubilee reminded him. "Out. I need to talk to Bobby."

Ray sighed, sitting up. "He's not here."

"I know that." Jubilee rolled her eyes. "He's with the Professor. But when he gets back, I need to talk to him in private. Please."

Ray just looked at her for a few minutes. "You alright?"

"Yes, of course." Jubilee brushed off his concern.

Ray didn't look convinced. "Okay. But you owe me one."

"Yeah." Jubilee smiled weakly. "Thanks." She waited for the door to close and headed straight for the bathroom, pulling the box out of her pocket.

Bobby closed his door behind him with a sigh, only to realise that the room was empty, causing him to think back to his girlfriend's earlier request. "Jubes? You did say _my _room, right?" He tapped on the closed bathroom door. "Jubes?"

"Come in." Jubilee called weakly.

Bobby pushed the door open, only to find his girlfriend in the process of throwing up. "Are you okay?" He was at her side in a second, holding her hair back for her as she heaved once more.

"Been better." Jubilee muttered, leaning against him. "You got a spare toothbrush?"

"No." Bobby felt her forehead. "You don't feel warm; you want me to grab you some painkillers or something?"

"I'm not sick." Jubilee assured him.

"Oh. In that case, you can borrow my toothbrush." Bobby grinned, helping her to her feet. He watched her brush her teeth, not entirely sure whether to believe her about her health, when something on the counter caught his eye. "Jubes … is that …?"

Jubilee followed his eye-line and rinsed her mouth out. "Yes. It is."

"But we've only …" Bobby trailed off, resorting to a vague gesture. "You know."

"So we've only slept together once." Jubilee scooped the test up and dumped it in the small bin in the corner of the bathroom. "All it takes, Bobby. And we didn't …"

"We were a little preoccupied, Jubes." Bobby reminded her gently, thinking back to the night before they'd flown out to fight Apocalypse. "Was it …?"

"Was it what?" Jubilee asked, slipping past him.

Bobby followed her back into the main room, catching her arm. "You know what I mean. Are you pregnant?"

Jubilee held his gaze for a second, before dissolving into tears with a nod. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, murmuring soothing words of comfort to her, using the time to desperately try to get his get around it.

They were having a _baby_.

Finally, his babbled words began to make sense, both in his head and out loud. "Baby, we're going to be fine, okay?" He pulled back slightly and cupped her face tenderly. "The second I met you, I knew I loved you and I always saw us having children one day … didn't you?"

"Well, yeah." Jubilee admitted, tears still streaming down her face but subsiding slightly. "But not this soon. And not before we were married."

"That can easily be fixed." Bobby pointed out, kissing her forehead.

Jubilee sighed. "Bobby, I don't want you to feel like you have to propose to me just because I'm pregnant."

"Who said anything about that being the reason?" Bobby asked quietly. "I've had this planned for a while; talked to your parents and everything."

"You're kidding?" Jubilee searched his eyes. "You're not kidding. Oh my God …"

"So what do you say?" Bobby grinned. "Fancy being stuck with me for the rest of your life?"

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Ask me properly and I'll think about it."

"As you wish." Bobby ran her hands down her arms and took her hands, lifting them to his lips and kissed them softly, before lowering himself on one knee. "Jubilee, will you marry me?"

"Yes." Jubilee whispered, falling to her knees next to him. "Yes, I'll marry you."

* * *

**AN: Review please!**


	35. Forging Friendships

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. Lucinda "Lucie" Cartwright belongs to me.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Five – Forging Friendships

**December 1998**

_How did I end up in this situation?_

It was a few days after Jubilee's discovery and Bobby's proposal, and Wanda Maximoff was traipsing along a lonely beach, wondering what she'd done to deserve this torture.

To be fair, it wasn't the beach that was the problem, though to most people it wouldn't have been the most appealing destination that morning; the sky was grey and stormy and that was reflected in the waves that broke at the edge of the sand.

No, her problem was with her company. In an attempt to avoid hexing Todd any more than she already had, she was tuning him out as he jogged along beside her, chattering faster than Pietro, which she'd previously deemed impossible.

"Wanda, are you listening to me at all?"

"Hmm?" Wanda shook herself out of her thoughts, slightly surprised. It wasn't like Todd to check that she was paying attention; usually, he just talked at her until she told him to shut up or threw him into a wall. "No, sorry. What were you saying?"

Todd slowed down to a walk and she automatically slowed her pace as well, turning to look at him. "I don't blame you." He told her quietly. "I've been a bit of a pain. I was just apologising for how I've acted since you got here and I'm going to stop."

"Really?" Wanda asked sceptically. "No more cheesy chat-up lines? No more asking me out every second of every day? No more pet-names?"

"No more." Todd agreed. "I promise."

"Thank God." Wanda sighed. "I was getting tired of hexing you all the time. It's not that I don't like you," she added hastily. "I just don't like you in _that_ way. You're like my little brother."

"So we're good?" Todd checked.

Wanda nodded with a smile. "We're good."

"Good." Todd pointed over her shoulder. "Now what's that?"

"What?" Wanda followed his gaze to see something lying near the water's edge about twenty feet away. "I don't know."

They approached the bundle cautiously, but, when they were a few steps away, Wanda stopped. "It's just an old canvas blanket. Probably fell off a ship somewhere."

Todd hopped the remaining distance and poked it softly. "It's not just a blanket; there's something inside it."

Curiosity peaked, Wanda knelt down on the other side and carefully peeled the blanket back, only to find a young woman about her age, with black hair and very pale skin.

"Holy smoke, is she alright?" Todd asked, sounding worried.

"I don't know." Wanda seized the girl's wrist. "Pulse is stable, breathing's steady … She's just unconscious, I think. Here." She pulled her cell-phone out and tossed it to him. "Call Lance; we need a ride."

"Surely an ambulance is the first port of call." Todd suggested.

"She's mutant." Wanda told him. "I'm sure of it. She's fully dressed, which means she didn't decide to go swimming, but there's no water in the lungs; no human could manage that. Make the call."

With a sudden groan, the girl's eyes fluttered open, revealing a deep blue colour. She coughed a few times, trying to sit up. "Where am I?"

"Bayville, New York." Wanda put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't try to sit up yet. I'm Wanda; this is Todd. Are you okay? What's your name?"

"Lucie. Lucie Cartwright." She answered, running a hand through her hair. "Great; that's gonna be hell to wash out." She stopped suddenly, bringing her hand down in front of her face. "What happened to my skin?"

"You weren't this colour before?" Wanda guessed tentatively.

"Not this pale." Lucie shook her head, looking a little frightened. "What's happening to me?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Wanda saw the ocean's surface shudder. "Don't panic, Lucie, but I think you might be mutant. It's okay." She added reassuringly. "We are too. Why don't you tell us what happened?"

"My dad …" Lucie murmured absently. "My dad's a lieutenant in the US Navy. It was my parents' wedding anniversary and he'd pulled some strings to let us visit the ship … he's been at sea for the last six months … The weather got really bad out there and this one huge wave came up; looked like it was gonna swamp the ship … then I screamed and it stopped and went back into the ocean. And then … I think I fell overboard."

"Er, I hate to break it to you, but I think they'd have managed to pull you back up if you just fell." Wanda pointed out, holding up the blanket. "And there's this thing."

Lucie sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Dammit."

"Don't worry." Wanda assured her. "My father freaked out when my powers appeared and he _is_ mutant."

Lucie's expression lightened slightly, though the worry remained in her eyes. "I guess I'm just worried about what I'll do now." She held up a hand. "Is this going to change?"

"It might not be a permanent change." Wanda told her. "Toad goes green in water."

"I have got to get a new code-name." Todd commented, hanging up the phone. "Lance is on his way; Kitty's with him."

"Oh, great." Wanda groaned.

"What's wrong with Kitty?" Todd frowned. "I thought you liked her."

"I do." Wanda sighed. "But the second the X-Men get involved, this'll turn into a turf war and that's not what she needs right now. Sorry." She gave Lucie a weary smile. "I didn't mean to talk about you like you weren't here."

"It's okay." Lucie shrugged, shivering in the December air. "Who are the X-Men? And why will it turn into a turf war?"

Belatedly, Wanda realised that the girl was still soaked to the skin and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, explaining the rivalry between the two teams as best she could, with Todd adding bits in some places and correcting her in others.

The sound of a car horn caused all three to look up to see Lance's jeep pull up in the parking lot.

Kitty phased out of the front seat, not bothering with the door, and flew them both down to where they were sitting.

"Not exactly beach weather." The brunette called with a grin when they were in earshot.

"Funny." Wanda shot back. "You still having power trouble?"

Kitty pulled a face. "I just don't get it." She caught sight of Lucie. "Oh God, you must be freezing. Here." She rubbed her hands together and combined Storm and Amara's powers to produce a jet of hot air.

"I see what you mean." Wanda commented. "Shouldn't you have lost them by now?"

"I should." Kitty agreed. "But I haven't. Hey, I don't get it either." She shrugged. "I just go with it."

Slowly, as she dried out, Lucie's skin colour faded back into a light tan. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Kitty shut off the power. "I'm Kitty, by the way; Kitty Pryde. You know about the X-Men now, right?"

"Lucie Cartwright." Lucie shook her hand. "Yeah, I do. No offence, but I've had enough formality to last me a lifetime. So I'll stick with these guys if it's alright with them."

"Perfectly fine." Wanda assured her.

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Lance asked. "I'm the leader; apparently, that's kinda important."

"It is. To you." Wanda smirked. "Why, do you have a problem with her staying?"

"No." Lance admitted. "But I would still like to be consulted."

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Lucie, this, by the way, is Lance Alvers, our fearless leader."

Kitty started suddenly, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "I keep forgetting I've got this thing on vibrate."

"I hate it when that happens." Wanda sympathised.

Kitty grinned at her and flipped it open. "Hello? Hi, Scott. Hang on." She covered the mouthpiece. "Hey, is Lucie short for Lucinda?"

Lucie nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Long story." Kitty turned back to the phone. "Yeah, I just met her. No. Because. Because. Look, isn't that her choice? They haven't done anything!" She rolled her eyes. "Newsflash, Cyclops: No one in the Brotherhood is telepathic. Oh, my God, Scott, if you say that one more time, I swear on all that is good in this world that I will find your spare visor, steal it and shove it so far down your throat you'll need a proctologist to pull it out the other end. And while they're in there, maybe they can have a look for that steel rod you've obviously got stuck up there."

Lance applauded as she hung up. "She shoots; she scores!"

Kitty closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths, before opening them again and giving Lucie a strained smile. "At this rate, I might be joining you."

* * *

Anna Marie Darkholme, also known as Rogue, was in a bit of a quandary and she was beginning to regret talking Remy out of coming to Louisiana with her.

Despite her assertions in Egypt, she had to admit she was still a little nervous about facing Mystique and had still only been discussing it with Remy when Storm informed her that she and Wolverine were flying down South if she wanted to join them.

Anna knew Bobby was running a training session that morning and, since she'd already had hers, she had managed to convince Remy stay in Bayville, wanting to keep this meeting as argument-free as possible.

If that was even possible to start with.

Logan and Ororo had stayed in town to do whatever it was they'd come down for (she hadn't really been paying attention) and Anna was now standing outside her foster-mother's front door, Lorelai sleeping soundly in her carrier, debating whether or not to knock.

Of course, it didn't matter in the long run whether she knocked or not, because Irene Adler was psychic and answered the door regardless.

"Anna. It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has." Anna agreed, transferring Lorelai's carrier to her other hand to hug her guardian, before taking her hand and guiding it to her daughter.

Destiny's fingers travelled lightly over Lorelai's face and her own lit into a smile. "She's going to look just like you, dear."

It had been a long time since Anna had questioned how Irene knew things like that and she wasn't about to start again. "Is she here?"

Irene nodded. "She doesn't know you're here yet. There's time."

"No." Anna took a shaky breath. "I have to do this. Can I leave Lorie in the hallway?" Without waiting for a response, she set the baby-carrier down outside the kitchen and walked in, refusing to second-guess herself a moment longer.

Mystique was sitting at the table when she entered. "Rogue. You came."

"Anna." She corrected, accepting the mug of coffee she was handed. "I'm not in uniform. And I keep my promises. Before we start, there's a question Kurt asked me to ask."

"Go on." Mystique prompted.

"Was he always blue?" Anna asked. "Or was it just the tail Magneto gave him?"

"He was always blue." Mystique told her. "To this day, I don't know what Eric was planning."

"Yes, well, maybe it's best if we stay away from Magneto's motives." Anna muttered. "I've had him in my head and he's twisted in every sense of the word. Now it's my turn. Did you know I was mutant when you adopted me?"

"I … I had my suspicions." Mystique admitted. "The moment I met you, I knew you were different. But I wasn't looking for a mutant child when I set out to adopt."

Anna glanced over at Destiny, who was nodding, confirming her words. "And why go to such lengths to keep me from the X-Men? Was it that Magneto wanted my powers or something else?"

"I just didn't want to lose another child." Mystique sighed.

"And Risty?" Anna pressed; this, after all, was what had hurt her more than anything. "Was that to be close to me or the X-Men?"

Mystique hesitated. "A bit of both. Primarily the first."

Anna fell silent for a few minutes, sipping at her coffee. Presently, she added, "I remember how you treated the boys when I was in the Brotherhood. One minute, you were scarily maternal; the next, you were ready to kill them."

"If I disciplined them, Sabretooth wouldn't." Mystique shrugged. "And those four can wear on your last nerve."

"Tell me about it." Anna frowned. "There is one more thing that's bugging me. Why Lance?"

It was clear Mystique hadn't expected her to ask that. "What?"

"Well, Wanda's Magneto's daughter, hates him; I get that." Anna counted them off on her fingers. "Pietro's his son, ditto. Todd and Freddie don't have anywhere else to go. But Lance grew up with a loving family; he only stayed to protect the others. He was doing fine in school and the earthquake in Northbrook was natural. Why recruit him?"

Mystique stared into her mug. "Magneto wanted him. I asked why but he never told me."

Anna sighed, needing to make a decision and quickly. "Well, I can't say I agree with what you did … I don't think I ever will, but …" She grimaced inwardly, knowing that she'd have to take the first step. "But I understand where your reasons now. And I can forgive you. Pull crap like this again and we're done."

"I don't blame you." Mystique reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Thank you."

Anna didn't respond, taking another gulp of coffee to steel herself. "I had a baby."

Mystique choked on her coffee momentarily. "I'm sorry; what?"

"I had a baby." Anna repeated. "A girl. October 27th. When we had that talk outside the Sphinx, I was pregnant. In labour, actually; I just hadn't realised it yet."

"Who's the father?" Mystique demanded.

"Gambit." Anna held up her left hand so her mother could see the ring there. "We're getting married; haven't set a date yet though."

Remy had proposed to her a few days after Kitty's exit from the Infirmary, down by the lake while they were talking about Lorelai's christening; though neither of them was particularly religious, they wanted some sort of ceremony. Jamie had eventually solved their dilemma by suggesting they start a tradition by having a 'Welcome to the World' party.

"What's her name?" Mystique asked.

"Lorelai Katherine." Anna hesitated, seeing the expression in her companion's eyes. "Would you like to meet her?"

Mystique nodded. "Of course! When?"

"Right now seems like a good time." Anna suggested, standing up before she could talk herself out of it. She ducked into the hallway to find that Lorelai had woken up, for once without crying, and quickly unbuckled the safety belt so she could scoop her daughter up, before rejoining the two in the kitchen. "She's already giving her father a run for his money; she's blown up about five teddy-bears already." Praying that she was doing the right thing, she gently placed her daughter into her mother's arms.

Lorelai squirmed slightly to look up at the person holding her with blue eyes that were slowly turning red-on-black, just like her father's. As her grandmother touched her face gently, she caught hold of her finger with a surprisingly strong hand and, with another wiggle, she'd grabbed her mother's finger in the other hand.

Neither woman pulled away, gazing down at the child between them in silence.

Was it possible that Lorelai Katherine LeBeau could do what years of lies and manipulation had failed to, and unite a torn family?

**

* * *

AN: If you want the story of Remy's proposal, go read 'Winter Joy'. Review please!**


	36. Discoveries

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I do own Lorelai LeBeau and Joseph and Monica Summers.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Six – Discoveries

**December 1998**

Most mornings at the Institute were chaotic, but they were becoming less so in the days leading up to Christmas.

Bobby and Jubilee had already left for California, to spend the holidays with her parents. Evan and Storm had left for NYC, taking Kurt, Roberto and Ray with them, the latter two getting along a lot better since Apocalypse. Sam and Rahne had, reluctantly, parted ways at the airport to allow him to spend the vacation with his family in Kentucky and her to do the same in Scotland. Kurt was also spending Christmas with his family, but he was returning before the New Year, so he could see his girlfriend on her birthday.

Jean and Scott were in Philadelphia, still waiting for Baby Summers to appear, and the Brotherhood would be joining them in a few days. After talking to Scott, Sara had also extended the invitation to Alex and, at Jean's request, Lorna.

Kitty still hadn't said what she was doing, but it was common belief that she would spend Christmas with the Grey/Alvers/Summers clan; her parents were becoming more detached by the day.

With mutant hysteria out the way, Kitty had gone back to Northbrook for Thanksgiving and returned in a very strange mood. When asked if she was sad or happy, she'd said:

"I'm neither one way or the other. The freakin' mayor turned up on the doorstep to talk to me and ask how I was and all my own mother said was, "I saw the news broadcast, dear; when are you going to realise that black isn't a flattering colour on you?""

No one had really known what to say, except Lexa, who'd said, "Maybe that's her way of dealing with it."

Kitty had snorted sceptically, but said nothing more, although everyone knew that her parents were going away for Christmas and she wasn't going with them.

Taryn was spending the holidays with her mother, but since Mrs. Winters lived so close, Professor Xavier had suggested that she come and stay with them, rather than the other way round.

Jamie, Lexa and Warren were also staying, the first two because they had nowhere else to go, the latter because he hadn't spoken to his family since his mutation appeared and "I'm not going to start now, just because they've suddenly pulled their heads outta their asses."

John and Amara were, supposedly, heading for Australia, but Anna, knowing John's situation with his family, wouldn't have been surprised to know that they had actually stayed in Manhattan, wanting to spend Christmas as a couple.

Anna herself was staying in Bayville with her fiancé and daughter; she had suggested they spend Christmas in New Orleans, but Remy had pointed out that Belladonna – who had become as much of a sister to Anna as she had to Remy – wouldn't be safe there yet. Anna had pretended not to hear the unspoken admission that he didn't feel ready to face his family again.

So, with the team sufficiently depleted for the festive season, morning were temporarily less chaotic.

Despite this, Anna still found herself juggling a laundry basket in one arm and Lorelai in the other, trying to answer the buzzing intercom. Finally giving up, she shoved the basket into Jamie's arms as he walked by and shifted Lorelai to her shoulder, not paying attention as the younger student stumbled slightly and two clones appeared to steady him and his cargo, so she could press the button. "Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, how can I help?"

"_Hey, it's me. I need to talk to Kitty."_

Anna sighed irritably. "Lance, it's seven in the morning; you only saw her last night. What is so important?"

"Forget it." Kitty called as she passed, grabbing a jacket. "I'm on my way!"

* * *

When Kitty reached the main gates, Lance was parked outside, pacing up and down beside his jeep. "What took you?"

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "What's the rush?"

"Jean's having the baby." Lance told her. "We're going home. Philadelphia, that is, not Northbrook." He opened the car door for her and did a double take. "What are you wearing?"

"Clothes." Kitty answered slowly, glancing down. "Unless, of course, you'd rather me not."

"No, I meant your skirt." Lance corrected, not responding to the opening she gave him. "It's freezing out here; could it get any shorter?"

"Probably." Kitty smirked. "Would you like it to?"

Lance grinned at her. "Not while I'm driving."

"Spoilsport." Kitty kissed his cheek and got in. "Since you're here and kidnapping me, I assume there's something else."

"Not kidnapping if you come willingly." Lance pointed out, jogging round to his side. "And you're spending Christmas with us."

"I don't want to …" Kitty began.

"You're not." Lance cut her off. "Come on, Mom adores you; the Brotherhood's gonna be there."

"That's different." Kitty argued weakly.

"You've been with us for Thanksgiving before." Lance reminded her, starting the engine.

"Also different." Kitty insisted, but they both knew she'd stay. "Are Samantha and Daniel gonna be there?"

"Yeah, they're arriving Christmas Eve." Lance nodded. "Can't wait to see you again. Do the X-Men know what happened with your parents?"

"Yeah." Kitty sighed. "Kinda had to tell them. Caused a very awkward silence; I don't think anyone really knew what to say. Oh, except Logan. He growled and told me I deserved better than that and that he'd skewer them if I wanted."

"And?" Lance prompted.

"I believe him." Kitty stated simply.

"Oh, sure, _him _you believe." Lance rolled his eyes jokingly. "I spent hours telling you that."

"You're my boyfriend; it's your job to tell me things like that." Kitty grinned. "I was surprised he reacted like that."

"I'm not." Lance snorted. "You, Jeannie, Anna and Lexa – you're his little girls, you know? Jeannie, not so much, because she doesn't need it as much, but you others … He won't let anyone hurt you, whether they're your parents or complete strangers."

Kitty thought about what he'd said. Jean, she understood; the redhead had been the first recruit at the Institute and she was sure that sometimes Wolverine saw the scared little girl she'd been back then, rather than the confident young woman she was now.

Anna and Lexa, likewise, were no surprise; they were both similar in character and had needed a father figure when they arrived.

But, although Kitty had always seen Logan as a father figure, she'd always assumed that she was in the same category as Jubilee and Amara.

"You think?"

"Why else does he call you 'Half-Pint'?" Lance asked.

"He gives everyone he likes a nick-name." Kitty argued.

"Not necessarily the people he likes." Lance disagreed. "I'm Shakedown. I wonder where he got _that_ from."

Kitty blushed lightly. "I may have mentioned it a few years ago. But that's exactly my point. He'd never admit it, but he likes you really. That's why he hasn't killed you yet."

"And Pietro's Speedy." Lance added.

"Only since he saved Lexa." Kitty corrected. "And I'm definitely not the only X-Man with a name – Jean's Red, Kurt's Elf, Evan's Porcupine, Anna's Stripes, Bobby's Icecube … Even Lexa lets him call her X; she'd probably disembowel the rest of us."

"But you're different." Lance insisted. "When he calls you Half-Pint, it's like … It's like when Dad used to call Jeannie Princess."

Kitty didn't respond and he didn't push the issue, knowing she'd need time to internalise the conversation.

"How's the power thing coming?"

Kitty sighed. "It's the weirdest thing. When Rogue absorbs someone's powers, she only keeps them for a couple of hours. The personality sometimes hangs around, but on the whole …"

"Still there, huh?" Lance asked sympathetically.

"Yeah." Kitty pulled a face. "I don't have Warren's, Lucie's, Tabby's or Alex's. But then Anna never absorbed them. Some of them are fading; I have to really concentrate if I want to use Magneto's. Sunspot, Toad, Gambit … they're all but gone. The only ones that are really strong are Jean, you, Pietro and Kurt. Haven't tried Mystique's yet." She frowned experimentally and he sniggered.

"You look weird with blonde hair." He told her honestly.

Kitty grinned. "Need to work on that; I was going for red." She fixed it and glanced out the window. "You know, we'll never make it on time. Unless …"

"You got an idea?" Lance asked.

"Uh huh." Kitty grinned. "Pull over."

Lance did as he was told, stopping the jeep on the side of the road. Just in case, Kitty reached into the back and pulled the two bags on to her lab. "What, did you get Jean to pack for me?"

"Yeah." Lance admitted shamelessly. "What are you gonna do?"

"Well, I've never been to the hospital before." Kitty explained, grasping his arm with one hand and the side of the jeep with the other. "But I can take us halfway." She concentrated on the image of Sara's house in her mind and closed her eyes and, with a soft _bamf_, the jeep appeared outside.

* * *

In the delivery room of the maternity wing of the hospital, Jean only vaguely felt Scott kiss the top of her head, her focus entirely on the baby boy in the midwife's arms. "Oh my God …"

"I love you so much." Scott whispered. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted." Jean admitted.

"Well, you don't have long to recover." The doctor told her cheerfully. "The other one will be along in a minute."

Neither of the nurses seemed surprised, but it was news to the new parents.

"I'm sorry; who'll be along in a what now?" Jean asked.

"The other baby will be along in a minute." The doctor elaborated.

"Kitty's never gonna let me live this down." Jean muttered, remembering the number of times the younger woman had suggested the theory

"You know it's twins, right?" The doctor asked.

"Oh yeah!" Scott answered sarcastically. "These are the faces of two people in the know."

She looked from one stunned face to the other. "I can't believe you didn't know it was twins."

"Well, Bella did say we needed a new ultrasound machine in the infirmary." Jean ventured hesitantly. "And my mom didn't know I was a twin until we were born. Sometimes one baby hides, right?"

"Sometimes." The doctor agreed. "But this has never happened to me before."

"Well, that makes me feel so special." Jean tugged on Scott's hand. "You okay, hon?"

"Twins!" Scott repeated. "Twins!"

"Sweetheart, you're panicking." Jean told him soothingly.

"Uh huh!" Scott agreed. "Join me, won't you? Jean, we're not ready for two babies!"

"I don't care!" Jean snapped, her grip tightening in his as another contraction rippled through her. "I don't care if it's two babies! I don't care if it's three babies! I don't care if the entire cast of _Eight is Enough_ comes outta there!"

"Okay." Scott soothed, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry; I panicked a little."

"Just a little?" Jean teased.

"Okay; time to start pushing." The doctor told her, returning from where she'd backed away to give them some privacy. "Here she comes."

"She?" Scott repeated. "It's a girl?"

Within ten minutes, it really was over and Scott was holding their daughter, while Jean cradled their son.

The room slowly cleared around them, except for one nurse who remained, filling in the paperwork. "Do we have names?" She asked, pen poised over the birth certificates.

"Lucky we thought up one of each." Scott commented. "Or we'd be stuck right now."

"Okay." Jean touched her son's face gently, smiling when he turned his head towards her finger. "So we have Joseph Paul and Monica Abigail Summers."

* * *

"I can't believe it was twins." Kitty commented for the sixth time as Lance pushed open the living room door.

"I can't believe I'm gonna get stuck with _him_ as a brother-in-law." Lance groaned.

"_I_ can't believe you haven't said hello yet." A female voice added.

They'd left Sara and Eric at the hospital with the new parents, heading back to the house to set a nursery up, seeing as no one had been expecting two babies, so there was only one of everything, including a crib.

At the sound of the voice, Lance broke into a smile. "Abby!" Dropping his keys on the side table, he ran over and enveloped the woman in a hug. "I haven't seen you in years!"

Kitty cleared her throat politely. "Lance, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Oh, yeah." Lance grinned. "Jean had twins."

"No." Kitty sighed. "I meant me."

"I knew that." Lance released the woman and put an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, kissing her cheek. "Abby, this is my lovely girlfriend, Kitty Pryde. Kitty, this is my godmother, Abigail Summers."

Abigail was Sara's age, with similar dark eyes, but with fair blonde hair that hung like a curtain down her back. But that wasn't what caught Kitty's attention.

"Summers?" She repeated, shaking her hand. "What a coincidence."

What's a coincidence?" Abby asked.

"Oh, Jean's going to be Mrs. Summers come June." Lance explained. "Oh, has … has Mom told you about …?"

"Yes, Judy found the twins." Abby nodded. "It's wonderful!"

"No, although that is true." Lance conceded. "Jean and I … we're mutant."

"Oh, I know that, dear." Abby told him. "I saw you on the news a few weeks ago. And you as well, dear. How are you?"

"Fine, thank you." Kitty smiled. "But that wasn't what I meant, Lance. Scott's mom was called Abigail."

"No kiddin'?" Lance shook his head with a wry grin. "What are the chances? I thought Jean named Monica after Abby."

"No, I'm fairly sure it was after Scott's mom." Kitty disagreed. "Not that it matters, if both are Abigail Summers."

"My son's name was Scott." Abby whispered.

"He was my best friend." Lance remembered. "We were like brothers."

Kitty vaguely remembered Jean telling her about her mother's godsons perishing in an accident when she was twelve, but it was the first time she'd heard a name. "What happened?"

"My husband and I took the boys to Cuba for a vacation." Abby answered tearfully. "When we heard about Paul's death, we cut it short and came home … the engine failed. We … We gave the kids parachutes and told them to jump, but …Scott's failed halfway down and Alex didn't make it either …"

Lance wrapped an arm around her again and pulled her into a hug. "What's up, Kitten? I know that look."

"Scott Summers." Kitty answered. "AKA Cyclops. Brother of Alex Summers Jr. Father of Joseph and Monica Summers. Lost his parents, Alex and Abigail Summers, in a plane crash in 1992 when he was 12."

"Kitty, this Scott," Lance nodded to Abby, "is dead. That Scott isn't."

"You don't think that's a little weird?" Kitty asked. "Come on, Lance; Scott was told Alex was dead, only to find out that people got that wrong. What's to say that they didn't make the same mistake twice?"

"Kitty, I love you, but you're crazy." Lance told her. "There's no way that …"

"We're home!" Jean's voice called from the hallway.

"Huh, they're early." Kitty commented. "I wasn't expecting them yet."

"Abby's here!" Lance called back. "And Kitty thinks that …"

"Abby!" Jean hurried in and embraced her godmother.

"Would you let me finish a sentence?" Lance grumbled.

"Hey!" Kitty carefully retrieved Monica from between the two women. "Am I the only one who finds it weird that there are apparently two Scott Summers who were both in a plane crash in 1992 when they were 12, with a brother called Alex?"

"It is weird." Jean conceded, pulling away. "But, you know, we're X-Men. Stranger things have happened."

Kitty caught Abby's eye. "No, seriously, they have."

"Jean?" Scott called.

"In here!" Jean responded.

Joseph nestled in one arm, Scott pushed the door open, only for his jaw to drop open, his face pale and his feet cease to work. "Mom?"

Kitty smirked triumphantly and deposited Monica in a dumbstruck Lance's arms, before taking her brother from their father. "Told you so."

**

* * *

AN: Review please!**


	37. Happy Holidays

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. Or 'Glory of Love' by Peter Cetera.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Seven – Happy Holidays

**December 25****th**** 1998**

It was strange how chaos changed peoples' perspectives.

Sara Grey-Alvers' house was big, but once Judy, Abigail and Alex Sr., Scott and Jean, Alex, Lorna, Eric, Chloe (who he was still dating, much to Jean and Kitty's disbelief), Lance, Kitty, Wanda, Tabby, Lucie, Todd, Pietro and Fred were all there, it was a tight fit and Sara had run out of ways to organise rooms.

So she had conceded and let Eric and Chloe share a room, as well as Lance and Kitty, which Scott wasn't happy about, but kept his mouth shut.

Actually, he'd said very little to Lance since he'd found his parents and not just because he was too busy talking to them.

Scott and Jean had been going to share a room anyway, so nothing had changed in that area, aside from the fact that there were now two cribs instead of just one.

They'd called the Institute and told them that everyone was healthy, but were keeping the fact that they'd had twins quiet until they could see people's reaction.

To the adults' amazement, all of the 'children' in the house, aside from Eric and Chloe, had slept straight through the twins' crying, with the obvious exception of their parents.

Kitty, Alex and Lorna were used to Lorelai crying at all hours.

The Brotherhood were just used to strange noises.

It was early and the house was still quiet, but Kitty was awake regardless, trying to figure out why she could never sleep in on Christmas morning when she'd never celebrated as a child.

She had a feeling it had something to do with spending two Christmases being woken up by Jamie; you needed to be awake before him or he'd give you a heart attack.

Kitty stretched sleepily, curling into Lance's side, making a mental note to call the Institute at some point.

A soft kiss landed on her forehead, causing a smile to spread across her face. "You awake?" Lance asked quietly.

"No." Kitty lied, not opening her eyes.

She heard Lance chuckle and his arms tightened around her waist, sliding over the shirt she was wearing (it wasn't technically hers; she'd stolen it from him ages ago). Despite sharing a room, and a bed, and despite knowing they were unlikely to get an opportunity like this again for a long time, they had only succumbed and taken advantage of the situation a few times.

"You're gonna have to wake up sometime, sweetheart." He murmured.

"I know." Kitty groaned, hearing her phone go off somewhere nearby. "Dammit." She leaned over the side of the bed and rooted through her jacket, which had fallen to the floor, finally extracting her cell-phone from one of the pockets. "Hello?"

"_Kitty?"_

"Jamie." Kitty settled back into Lance's arms and glanced at the clock. "Merry Christmas. It's only five o'clock, sweetheart."

"_I know, but I wanted to talk to you."_

Kitty smiled fondly. "Well, I'm here. Did you open your stocking yet?"

"_Nuh uh. I wanted to wait for you." _Jamie admitted.

Kitty chuckled. "Okay, hun; hang on." She covered the phone. "Jamie wants to tell me what he got for Christmas."

Lance chuckled. "I remember doing that. Mind you, it was normally my grandparents I called."

"Well, that's not an option." Kitty murmured, knowing she didn't have to elaborate, before pulling her hand away. "Go ahead, Jamie."

Jamie launched into a play-by-play of the morning and Kitty nodded, making the appropriate noises when she needed to.

As the minutes ticked by, the quiet was broken by the wailing of a baby and Jamie broke off mid-sentence.

"_Was that Jean's baby? What did she have?"_

Kitty laughed. "Nice try, Jamie. Jean and Scott want to tell everyone when they get home."

There was a soft knock at the door and it opened just wide enough for Sara to poke her head in. Seeing that they were both awake and fully-clothed, even if not yet really dressed, she walked in, holding her screaming grandson in her arms.

"They didn't get more than a second of sleep last night." She explained quietly.

Lance got out of bed and took his nephew, but the crying didn't decrease. "Is he hungry?"

"No." Sara shook her head. "He's not hungry, he doesn't need changing; he doesn't have wind."

"I'll call you back later, Jamie." Kitty told him, grimacing slightly. "Bye sweetie." She hung up and stood up as well. "Here."

Lance gratefully handed Joseph over and she cradled him carefully, cooing softly to him. When that didn't work, she sighed, wondering idly if telepathy would work any better.

_Joey? Hey, sweetheart, it's your Auntie Kitty. Do you just want a cuddle? Because Mommy's really tired, kid, so it'd be great if you could just let her sleep._

To her surprise, Joseph's wails quietened to general fussing and she sat down, rocking him gently, still speaking softly in his head.

"Unbelievable." Lance muttered.

Sara smiled. "I haven't heard that song in years."

"Hmm?" Kitty asked absently, focusing on her thoughts.

"The song you're singing." Sara elaborated, and Kitty realised that she was humming quietly, which was more likely to be the reason for the baby settling. "I haven't heard it in years. I used to sing it to the children."

"It was in a movie, wasn't it?" Lance asked, frowning thoughtfully.

Sara nodded. "Yes, but that wasn't where I first heard it. I'd never heard it before I was pregnant with Eric and then I just started humming the tune. I thought I was going crazy until my mother-in-law told me she'd done the same thing when she was pregnant with Paul." A sad smile crossed her face at the thought of her late husband.

"I've heard of inheriting cravings." Kitty commented. "I thought you got it through your own parents though."

"Sometimes." Sara confirmed. "But it's the baby that causes the cravings, so they can bring it from their father's side of the family, which is what these three did." She ruffled her son's hair affectionately and he grinned at her, the whole scene a little bizarre, given that he was a head taller than her now.

Kitty laughed quietly. "I haven't seen the movie in ages; I just figured it was appropriate." She glanced down to see that Joseph was now fast asleep.

Sara saw this too and sighed in relief. "Oh thank God. I've had three children, but he just didn't seem to want to settle down."

"I think he's telepathic." Kitty told her quietly. "Or will be, at any rate. I think I've settled him, so he should be okay. Jean would do a better job than I did, being his mother and all. But it'll do for now."

"Thank you, dear." Sara carefully took him back. "I'll take him downstairs; I really need to get things started if I want to get lunch sorted in time."

"'Kay." Kitty bit back a yawn and stretched, running a hand through her hair.

As the door closed quietly, Lance slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Kitty put up a hand. "Honey, you know I love you, but …"

"I already brushed my teeth this morning." Lance smirked. "It's not difficult to beat you up, Kitten."

"Oh." Kitty smiled. "In that case, go ahead."

Lance kissed her softly, cupping her face in his hands. Kitty let out a soft sigh and leaned against him, her arms encircling him.

Breaking away, Lance rested his forehead on hers. "I could get used to mornings like this."

Kitty sighed sadly. "We can't, Lance; you know that. I wish we could, but I can't leave the X-Men anymore than you could leave the Brotherhood."

"Give it time." Lance suggested. "They might be open to coming with."

Kitty sniggered. "In your dreams, Shakedown."

"True." Lance agreed with a laugh. "You're probably right. What movie was that song from again?"

Kitty frowned. "Can't remember. I'm sure I watched it with you though. Probably back in Northbrook."

They had watched a _lot_ of movies back in Northbrook and Lance dropped the query, which came as a relief to Kitty, who hadn't, and still didn't, ever having heard that song before in her life.

**

* * *

December 31****st**** 1998**

The New Year's Eve party was in full-swing, held in one of the large rooms on the first floor, which had been cleared of all furniture, except for a few couches, trestle tables laden with a buffet and chairs dotted around the walls, leaving a large space free for dancing.

Scott and Jean were sat on one of the couches with Joseph – since nicknamed Joey – and Monica, taking every fawning woman with good grace.

Alex and Lorna were talking to his parents; Wanda, Tabby and Lucie were keeping an eye on Todd and Fred; Eric and Chloe had disappeared off to … who knew where; and Sara was in her element as hostess.

But something, Jean realised as she scanned the room, was missing. Excusing herself from an old friend of her dad's, she stood up, cradling Monica to her body, and headed over to where Lance and Kitty were standing in a quiet corner, blocked from Scott's view more for simplicity than anything else, his arms around her waist, her head resting on his shoulder.

It took her longer than it should have to reach them, partly because of the number of people who stopped her and cooed over the child in her arms and partly because of the slow song that was playing, meaning that there were a lot of people dancing.

The couple she was aiming for, she realised, weren't dancing, just swaying in time with the music and she smiled softly, before reluctantly clearing her throat.

Lance loosened his arms enough to allow his girlfriend to turn around and settled his hands on her stomach instead.

Jean nodded towards the window, curtains still drawn allowing the moonlight to stream in, where Pietro was leaning against the wall, talking to Judy and an old family friend. "What's wrong with that picture?"

Kitty knew what she meant; for the duration of the holidays, something had been bugging her about Quicksilver, but she just couldn't put her finger on it while he was with the Brotherhood – none of them sat still long enough for them to think.

Now, though, the answer was obvious. "Lexa's not here."

Since the shooting, it had been a strange thing for the two to be out each other's company, but they had been for the last few weeks.

"Lance, how exactly does he feel about her?" Jean asked.

Lance shrugged. "He's fallen hard and fast. Given how he talks about her, I'd say he feels the same way I do about Kitty." He dropped a kiss on her head.

"And how's that?" Scott prompted, appearing behind his fiancée.

"If I could've put it into words, I would have." Lance said calmly, not rising to it.

"Kitty, why don't you go and give Lexa a call?" Jean suggested. "See if she can make it. Mom won't mind."

Kitty frowned. "Jean, she'll never make it in time …" She caught sight of the look Jean was giving her and realisation struck her. "Oh, right. I'll use the phone in the next room." She leaned up to kiss Lance's cheek – whispering a slight warning in his ear as she did – and slipped away, perfectly aware of his eyes following her out of the room.

Once she was in the next room, empty but for everyone's coats, Kitty closed the door firmly, waited for a swell in the music and teleported directly to the mansion's living room.

Lexa started at her arrival, dropping the book she was reading. "Damn, Kitty; don't you ever knock?"

"Sorry." Kitty said unapologetically. "Where is everyone? It's New Year's."

"Around." Lexa answered, going back to her book. "Wolverine went out, Beast's in NYC, Warren and Taryn took Jamie to Time Square to watch the ball drop – whatever that means – and I think Professor Xavier's in his study."

"Come on then." Kitty grabbed her hand, causing her to drop her book again, and dragged her up the stairs to her room, with a single bed now that Anna had moved in with Remy. "We were at Jean's mom's New Year party and we thought to ourselves – Lexa should be here. So here I am; tell Professor X, would you?"

"Kitty, I've got nothing to wear!" Lexa protested, sending a telepathic message as she did.

Kitty sighed wearily. "You don't think I know that? One of my dresses should fit you; we're about the same size."

"You think?" Lexa asked, eyeing Kitty's aqua-blue velvet gown. It swept up her neck leaving her back bare. "You must be driving Lance crazy."

Kitty smirked over her shoulder. "Here's hoping. Classic black should do." She decided, pulling a dress from her closet. "Here." While Lexa changed, she found a pair of curling tongs, heating them in her hand.

"How do I look?" Lexa asked.

Kitty glanced up. "Lovely. Sit here." Ushering Lexa into a chair, she quickly curled her hair for her and applied a light layer of make-up.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm being set up?" Lexa asked dryly.

"Think of it this way; you get to find out about baby Summers before anyone else." Kitty pointed out, taking her arm.

This time, she teleported them to just outside the front door, both women shivering in the snow.

_Jean, we're back._

A few minutes later, Jean opened the front door with a baby in her arms. "Lexa, glad you could make it. You look stunning, by the way."

"Thank you. So do you." Lexa responded truthfully as she stepped inside; it was difficult to tell Jean had only given birth a few weeks ago. "Boy or girl?"

"This one's Monica." Jean answered, leading them into the living room. "Scott's got Joey."

"Okay, awkward question." Lexa stated. "The hospital knows you took two, right?"

* * *

Having shaken lose the family friend (he still didn't know her name), Pietro was talking to his mother in an undertone about the Brotherhood, knowing it was only a matter of time before she found out from Sara.

When she bypassed white and began paling even further, he decided it was time to change the subject. "It's a great party."

"Yes, it is." Judy agreed, grabbing a drink from nearby to steady her nerves. "But you give it another hour and everyone single will be in a panic, trying to find someone to kiss when the ball drops."

"Well, as much as I don't want to have this conversation with my mother," Pietro sighed, "I will not be one of those people."

"Oh, sweetie, you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend; we could have invited her." Judy told him, sounding disappointed.

"She's not my girlfriend." Pietro admitted reluctantly. "But I've fallen in love with her and I think she feels the same way."

He hoped she felt the same way.

Neither of them had mentioned the revelation he'd made before the shooting nor the conversation they'd had in the infirmary, but they had talked about anything and everything else.

He had told her things he'd never dreamed of telling anyone else, about his father and his sister, because she knew what it was like to be treated like a weapon rather than a person, more so than he did.

In return, she had confided him about growing up with HYDRA, the constant struggle to be a perfect warrior.

He felt a connection with her, one he couldn't explain or describe, but that seemed so entwined with his very being he wondered how he'd managed without it.

"We've never really talked about it." He shrugged.

Judy kissed her son's forehead. "You'll figure it out, sweetheart." She wiped the remnants of her lipstick away. "Who's that talking to Jean?"

"Hmm?" Pietro turned to see who she was talking about and froze. Her back was to him, but it didn't matter. "Lexa …"

Jean caught his eye and said something to her companion, who looked over her shoulder, smiled at him and excused herself, before joining them. "Hi."

"Hi." Pietro glanced at his mother, who seemed to find something about the situation incredibly amusing. "Mom, this is Lexa. Lexa, this is my mom."

Judy shook her hand. "It's lovely to meet you, dear." Someone called her name from across the room and she excused herself, leaving the two looking at each other.

Pietro cleared his throat. "Lex, you look stunning."

There were no other words to describe her. Her sleeveless black dress swept the floor, hugging her hips, the neckline sweeping lower than anything he'd seen on her before. Her hair was curled and tumbled over her shoulders and neck seductively.

"Thank you." Lexa smiled almost shyly. "You don't look half-bad yourself."

Another slow song began playing and Pietro smiled to himself as he recognised the song. "Wanna dance?"

Lexa took his hand. "I'd love to."

_Tonight it's very clear,_

_As we're both lying here,_

_There's so many things I want to say._

_I will always love you,_

_I would never leave you alone._

Over Lexa's head, Pietro caught sight of Kitty whispering something to Lance, who spun her round and flashed his team-mate a wink.

_Sometimes I might forget,_

_Say things I might regret,_

_It breaks my heart to see you crying._

_I don't wanna lose you,_

_I could never make it alone._

Pietro pulled her closer, remembering the spasm of horror that had shot through him when he'd seen the gun aimed at her. The fact that she could heal from it never even entered her head; he just knew that he would never let her get hurt.

_I am a man who will fight for your honour._

_I'll be the hero you're dreaming of._

_We'll live forever,_

_Knowing together,_

_That we did it all for the glory of love …_

* * *

"Twenty seconds!"

The voice echoed through the room and people seemed to instinctively pair off as chatter ceased and everyone stared at the clock, waiting, excitement buzzing through the room.

"Ten … Nine … Eight … Seven … Six … Five … Four … Three … Two … One … Happy New Year!"

Fireworks went off outside, illuminating the room they were standing in, as the guests cheered, hugged and kissed each other.

"Here's to a perfect year." Jean whispered, kissing her fiancé softly.

Scott smiled down at her and the twins, who were sleeping soundly in their parents' arms, despite the noisy atmosphere. "It will be."

Across the room, Lexa was in Pietro's arms, her hands gripping his shoulders for support. He broke the kiss gently and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Happy New Year."

At least, that's what he'd intended to say. For some reason, the words got mixed up on the way to his mouth.

"I love you."

Lexa smiled and pressed her lips to his once more. "I love you too."

Pietro held her tightly and was about to respond when something caught his attention. Kitty was in Lance's arms, which was to be expected, but they weren't caught up in a New Year's embrace.

They were just staring at each other, gazing at each other in silence.

"I wonder what happened." Pietro murmured.

"Hmm?" Lexa turned in his arms. "No idea."

_

* * *

A few minutes earlier …_

"Three … Two … One … Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year." Lance repeated quietly.

Before his lips could reach her, Kitty met his eyes and whispered two words.

"I'm pregnant."

**

* * *

AN: Yes, I know, that's number four. Last one for a while, I promise. Let's see if we can push this fic up to 200 reviews, shall we?**


	38. Evidence

**Disclaimer: Any characters you recognise come from X-Men: Evolution, which I don't own. Any dialogue you recognise comes from Blackadder (which is one of the best damn comedies to ever grace our screens), which I also don't own. I do own Detectives Michael Wood and Emma Black.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Eight – Evidence

**January 1999**

As the celebrations continued, Lance searched Kitty's eyes for any sign she was joking. She gave him none and he nodded slowly, sliding her hand down to hers and taking it gently. Stopping only to make their excuses to Sara, he led her upstairs to their room and shut the door quietly.

"Say it again?"

Kitty bit her bottom lip, for once unable to read his reaction. She supposed she could have read his mind, but she refused to invade like that. "I'm pregnant." She still didn't get a response and continued, well aware she was starting to babble, but somewhat afraid of the silence that threatened to consume them otherwise. "I mean, I haven't had a scan or anything, but I took, like, three tests and they were all positive. And I kinda lied Christmas morning; I've never heard that song before in my life and I keep catching myself humming it. And …"

She was cut off abruptly by his mouth landing on hers, kissing her hard. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer.

After a few minutes, he pulled away. "How?" He asked, the grin on his face contradicting his query. "I thought you were on …"

"I am." Kitty sighed. "Apparently, it's only 99% effective. You know, they should put that on the box."

"They probably do." Lance pointed out, releasing her so she could change out of her dress.

"Then they should put it in huge letters." Kitty rolled her eyes, undoing the clasp and letting her dress drop to the floor. "This isn't supposed to happen to me."

Any other man might have panicked at this point, but, luckily, this was exactly how Jean had reacted to her own impending motherhood, so he had some previous experience to draw on. "It is happening though, Kitten." He said calmly. "And we can freak out or we can deal with it."

Kitty pulled her nightgown over her head and stilled, not turning to meet his gaze. "What if I'm not cut out to be a mother?" She asked quietly.

Lance's hands touched her waist, leading her over to the bed and sitting her down. When he knelt in front of her, she assumed it was some way of making sure she listened to him, but rather than meeting her eyes and addressing her, he pushed her nightdress up and pressed a soft kiss to her stomach.

"Hey, kid. Let me tell you something about your mom: She's the smartest, bravest, most beautiful woman I know and I've never known her to fail at anything, except having faith in herself. Because she's an amazing godmother and a wonderful aunt, and she still doesn't think she'll be a good mother."

He looked up into her face and wiped away the tear that trickled down her cheek. "I don't know what happened with Jamie, but I do know he doesn't have his parents anymore for whatever reason. You're only two years older than him, but you act like his mother."

"But Jamie's a teenager." Kitty whispered. "Not a baby."

Lance sighed. "Kitten, you forget who I live with. There's no way a baby can be more chaotic and exhausting than that lot."

Kitty giggled. "That's true."

Lance grinned at her and straightened up, undoing his shirt. "Who are we telling?"

Kitty sighed. "Well, I'd rather this be as stress-free as possible … so I'll tell Professor X and Bella … and let the others figure it out."

Lance sniggered. "Sounds good to me."

"Unless you wanna tell your mom." Kitty added.

Lance shook his head. "No, wait until we have to. That way when your parents start yelling, we can say we didn't tell mine either."

Kitty sighed. "They're gonna kill me, aren't they?"

"Not if you're holding a baby." Lance grinned, crawling into bed beside her.

Pulling the covers over them, Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting I use our child as a shield?"

"Absolutely." Lance tugged on her arm, until she was using his chest as a pillow, one leg hooked over his. "We can handle this, Kitten. We're gonna be fine."

Kitty's hand drifted down to rest on her abdomen, feeling his cover it protectively. A soft smile crossed her face and she closed her eyes. "Yeah. I think we are."

**

* * *

February 1999**

Despite Kitty's news, things continued in very much the same way. True to her decision, Professor Xavier and Belladonna were the only people who knew about her impending motherhood and, with Jubilee's common knowledge, no one paid any attention to any odd behaviour she might be exhibiting.

"Of course," she commented to Lance one day, "I'm only a month or so along. They've got to notice soon enough."

Kitty and Lance weren't the only ones keeping secrets; Lexa and Pietro had been dating since the New Year's party. Aside from Kitty, Lance, Jean and possibly Scott – although he was hard to read and didn't give any indication one way or the other – no one else knew and they hadn't told anyone, although Lexa had a feeling Wanda knew.

HYDRA, thankfully, had disappeared from their radar completely.

One morning in early February, the intercom rang, bringing with it an interesting development.

Lorna answered, being closest to the button. "Good morning, Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters."

"_NYPD; can we come in?"_

"Can I ask you to show your badges to the screen please?" Lorna asked, glancing at the monitor. "Come in." She pressed the button for the gates to swing open and abandoned the intercom in favour of opening the front door.

The two detectives were an interesting partnership. They were both fairly young, late twenties – maybe early thirties at a push – and both were in shape – no donut-stuffed cop stereotypes here.

But that was where the similarities ended.

Detective Michael Wood was tall, over 6', with tanned skin and dark hair. Detective Emma Black, on the other hand, was just over 5', with very pale skin and blonde hair.

"Hi." Lorna held her hand out. "Lorna Dane, how can I help?"

They both shook her hand and Wood checked his notepad. "We need to speak with a Miss Lexa Howlett?"

"Of course." Lorna nodded. "Come in." She led them inside and down the hall towards the rec room, where Lexa was talking to Alex in the corner, both of them ignoring the movie playing on the big screen. "Lex!"

Lexa glanced up, said something to Alex, who sniggered, and jogged over to them. "What's up?"

"Detectives Wood and Black." Lorna indicated them. "Want to talk to you."

"Thanks, Lorna." Lexa shook their hands. "What's this about?"

"We took a call from this address last November, saying a young man had been shot." Wood told her. "We've got Duncan Matthews in custody …"

"Really?" Lexa interrupted. "I wasn't expecting anything to come of it."

"A young man had been shot." Black reminded her with a frown.

"Young mutant." Lexa corrected. "Given the run-ins mutants have had with the police before, we weren't expecting anything, but go on."

"Mr. Matthews is denying everything." Wood sighed. "We really want to get him; we got the bullet you sent over, but without a weapon … I don't suppose you've got any proof other than your word, have you?"

"As a matter of fact, I have." Lexa smirked. "Follow me." She led them back into the hallway. "I was raised by a renegade government agency as a mercenary." She explained without hesitation. "Clearly, I don't work for them anymore, but they weren't happy about me leaving and sent an agent to … retrieve me." Without missing a step, she threw an arm back, causing the two detectives to step back against the wall as Sam went barrelling past them, Wolfsbane chasing after him in her animal form.

"Is that normal?" Black asked faintly.

Lexa smiled. "You get used to it. Where was I?"

"They sent an agent to retrieve you." Wood reminded her, falling into step beside her again.

"Right." Lexa nodded. "There were shots fired, but HYDRA is practically untouchable; you're better of leaving them to the … well, the more informed."

Black nodded understandingly. "Why are you telling us this?"

"Because it explains why Pietro and I were standing on a cliff-top, incredibly distracted, and that led to him being shot." Lexa told her.

"Did either of you use your powers against him?" Black asked.

"Erm …" Lexa struggled to remember. "I don't think so. I may have threatened him after it happened, but, unless, you count Pietro moving very fast, no."

Wood frowned. "If his power is super-speed, then how did he get shot?"

Lexa smiled sadly and pressed the button for the elevator. "It wasn't aimed at him. Come on."

One of the panels in the wall slid to the side and the three stepped into the elevator.

"I guess this is the part you usually leave off the tour?" Black commented as the small room began moving slowly downwards.

"Unless you're planning on joining." Lexa laughed. "You could say that. There's nothing bad down here or anything; it can just be a bit dangerous if you don't know where you're going." She noticed that both detectives looked faintly nervous. "Don't worry; we're just going to the security centre. Nothing dangerous in there, unless you count the fact that Bobby insists on leaving old pizza slices in there."

The comment had the desired effect and both cops laughed as she opened the door.

Lexa turned the lights on, hearing the hum from the main computer as it jumped to life again, jolted out of hibernation by the movement. She pulled the chair away from the surveillance camera monitors and ducked under the desk, where they kept all the tapes. "Right, where are we? 1998, here it is … September … October … November …" She emerged again with the box, accepting Detective Wood's hand. "Thanks. Now what day was it?" Setting the box on the desk, she closed her eyes, doing the math. "Kitty had been in the infirmary a week … they got back on the 27th … 31 days in October … It was the 3rd, right?"

"It was." Black confirmed.

Lexa selected the right tape, checking it came from the cliff-top camera, and inserted it into the VCR. "Let's see." She ran through the tape until she saw herself and Pietro ducking bullets, slowing the tape to average speed again. "That was the HYDRA assassin … that's Lance and Kitty flying to the rescue …" She trailed as they watched the Pietro on-screen wrap his arms around her. He glanced up, saw Duncan and spun around in quick succession, stiffening as the bullet hit him, before slumping into her arms.

Closing her eyes, unwilling to watch, Lexa turned the sound up, glad that Professor Xavier had invested in surveillance cameras with audio.

"_You bastard. What did he ever do to you?"_

"_He was born. Him and the rest of you mutant freaks."_

"He's been trouble for a while." Lexa sighed, stopping the tape. "From what I know, he and Jean used to date, but she dumped him when he cheated on her. When their powers were discovered, he offered to take her back – seemed to think her telepathy would be useful when it came to exams. She refused and he seemed to take it personally."

"What I don't understand," Black said, "is why you didn't think we'd take a shooting seriously."

"Last February," Kitty stated from the doorway, "he and a group of friends formed a lynch mob and went after a group of mutants called the Morlocks. They live in the sewers, because they feel unable to live 'top-side' as they call it. He was ready to kill a six-year-old child because he was mutant – no, I tell a lie; he _looked_ mutant, wondered into the middle of the fight, wrong place, wrong time; fired a laser gun at him."

"Where did he get that?" Black asked, sounding appalled.

Kitty shrugged. "God only knows. If it weren't for a former member of our team who intercepted the blast, that child would be _dead_. Actually, so would both of you, because Dorian turned out to be mutant and his powers are the only reason we won."

Wood's face was pale and he looked slightly sick. "We can't have had any proof …" He murmured.

Kitty laughed derisively. "Detective, NYPD watched him do it. They arrested him for disturbing the peace and released him the next day. Of course, this was about 18 months after you sent out every available officer, both choppers and still called for more back-up to deal with a group of teenagers whose home had just been blown up and were scared out of their minds."

Feeling the ground beginning to shudder beneath them, Lexa quickly took note that Lance wasn't there and put a hand on Kitty's shoulder. "Deep breath, Shadowcat. It's over."

Kitty breathed in and let it out slowly, nodding. "I know. Sorry; it was a bad time. For all of us."

The two detectives simply nodded as Lexa pulled the tape from the VCR and handed it to them. "Was there anything else you needed?" She asked politely.

"No, I think that's everything." Black tucked it away in a folder. "We do need to speak with Mr. Maximoff though."

"He doesn't live here." Kitty told her. "He lives at the Boarding House."

"It's about five miles down the road." Lexa elaborated. "Do you have your car with you?"

Wood shook his head. "We left it in town and walked through the woods."

Lexa smiled. "Kitty, could you give us a lift then?"

"Sure." Kitty zipped her jacket up. "I'm heading that way anyway." She linked arms with Lexa and offered her hand to the two detectives.

After a moment's hesitation, Wood took hold of his partner's arm and took her hand.

In a split-second, they were standing outside the Boarding House. Lexa and Kitty had arrived with their backs to the door, which explained why their companions reacted before they did.

"What the hell happened?" Wood asked, hand moving to his holster.

Lexa turned around and gasped in horror. The front door was hanging off its hinges, revealing just a hint of the chaos inside. "Oh God …"

Kitty swallowed hard, her face ashen, and turned to face the two detectives. "I'm afraid we may need to postpone that interview. How can we get hold of you?"

Lexa didn't hear the rest of the exchange. She ran into the house, coming to a halt in the kitchen. Breakfast had clearly been interrupted in a very sudden and very violent way; the table was overturned and food was scattered across the floor.

Her eyes strayed to a bloodstain on the floor in front of the fridge and she crouched down, sniffing tentatively. The scent was unfamiliar, but it had a familiar tinge and she couldn't help a victorious smirk.

Even HYDRA _had_ come back – which she hadn't expected but now suspected – at least someone had managed to get a blow in before they were taken.

"Lexa, what are you doing?" Kitty hissed, appearing at her side. "Anyone could have been in here. Come on; it's best we stick together."

Together, they made their way through the house, ready to attack if the worst should happen.

Nothing did.

No attackers, no victims …

Just an empty house.

"This can't be happening." Lexa whispered.

"Lex?" Kitty called, trying to keep her attention. "Can you smell anyone you recognise?"

Lexa shook her head. "No. But all HYDRA agents have an underlying scent; it's in their uniforms. We have to get them back."

"Lexa!" Kitty caught her arm. "This isn't Magneto we're talking about! We'll be outnumbered by a good hundred, even if we can convince Cyke to lead a rescue mission."

"Do you think we will?" Lexa asked hopefully.

Kitty shook his head. "Not a chance. There's too much of a risk and Iceman and Havoc will listen to him."

"Then what?" Lexa demanded, frustrated. "They want me, Kitty!"

"So what, you go and hand yourself in?" Kitty snapped. "We need to be sensible about this Lexa! What are the chances they'll be easy to find?"

Lexa bit her lip. "Pietro probably will be, because he'll be the bait to get me there. The others are just collateral." She winced at the thought and offered up a silent prayer, though she'd never had the slightest religious inclination. "Why?"

Kitty sighed. "Well, if you thought they'd be easy to find, I could go."

Lexa shook her head. "No; they'd be split up. I know how they think, remember?"

"I'll call General Fury." Kitty murmured, pulling her cell-phone out. "We call Wolverine and we'll both be locked in the Danger Room until it's over."

"Wait." Lexa stopped her. "We need to think of a plan first. Call on the way." She narrowed her eyes. "You've got a plan, haven't you?"

"Maybe." Kitty admitted. "Yes. And I'm fairly sure it'll work."

"Really?" Lexa asked. "A cunning and subtle one?"

"Yep." Kitty confirmed.

Lexa raised an eyebrow. "As cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Yale University?"

"I'd say so." Kitty answered.

Lexa sighed. "Alright. Let's hear it."

**

* * *

AN: Obviously Bayville is a made-up place and I have to confess that I don't know New York all that well, having never ventured further afield that France. So for the sake of this story, I'm putting Bayville to the East of Queens, which would just about put it in NYPD's jurisdiction and still keep them on the coast, just below Connecticut.**

**But, hey, these kids can fly and walk through walls and stuff – are we really going to dispute geography because it's 'not realistic'?**

**Review please!**


	39. Rescue

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I may have borrowed a few lines of dialogue from Blackadder II, Chains, but I don't own that either.**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Nine – Rescue

**February 2009**

"Good God …" Pietro groaned as he woke up. "What on Earth was I drinking last night?"

His arms ached and he guessed he must have fallen asleep on the couch again. He was joking about the drinking of course; he hadn't gone out and no one would let a drop of alcohol pass through the doors of the Boarding House because of what had happened to Todd and his mom.

It was too quiet though and it didn't take him long to notice the restraints around his wrists. He tugged on them experimentally. "Where am I? Why am I chained to the wall?"

"Le han secuestrado, idiota. ¡Ella vendrá y la controlaremos otra vez!" A male voice sniggered.

Pietro shook his head, clearing it, his surroundings coming into sharp contrast: a dark, dank cell that looked like it belonged in a movie about the middle ages. Across from him a man leaned against the wall, wearing a uniform Pietro was sure he should recognise.

"What?" Pietro frowned, trying desperately to remember the hours of Spanish lessons his father had made him sit through. "Hang on; I haven't been kidnapped, have I?"

That morning's events suddenly flooded his memory sending worry coursing through him when he realised he was alone.

The man, who clearly understood English, even if he didn't speak it, nodded vigorously. "Si! Si!"

"Great." Pietro muttered. "Well, this is freakin' humiliating. Okay, is there any chance you're a member of the Spanish Inquisition?"

"Usted es aún más estúpido que pensamos." The man muttered, rolling his eyes.

"… Good." Pietro sighed, wondering where the hell he was and why they'd send someone who didn't speak English to interrogate him. "Because, if I am, I want to make it very clear that I am prepared to tell you absolutely anything."

Gaining a glint in his eye that told Pietro that he was enjoying himself a lot more than his charge was, the man began to sigh something.

"Great." Pietro muttered again. "I always loved charades. Alright, let's see …"

It took him about ten minutes, but finally he thought he'd cracked it.

"Hang on." He sighed. "Let me see if I've got this right. If I admit that I'm in love with …"

"No!" The man stopped him and sat down, rolling backwards.

"Sorry." Pietro rolled his eyes. "Head over heels in love with Satan and all his little wizards, you will remove my testicles …" He paused, watching the man resign something. "… with some kind of blunt gardening tool, but we can't quite agree on which, and roast them over a large fire. Whereas if I don't admit I'm in love with Satan and all his little wizards you will dangle me upside down in a vat of warm marmalade?"

Neither option sounded particularly welcoming but he'd prefer the second.

"Y! Y!" The man prompted.

"Oh, _and _remove my testicles with … Oh, I see." Pietro grimaced. "In that case, I love Satan."

His guard grinned evilly and produced a large weapon from a nearby wall.

"Oh, it's a _scythe_." Pietro realised. "Well, that's slightly less …" He grimaced, wincing as it swung towards him. _Sorry, Lex._

The door flew open, causing the Spanish-speaking man to yelp and drop the weapon, narrowly missing Pietro's foot.

"Greetings, Mr. Maximoff." The new voice sounded foreign as well, but Pietro couldn't place the accent nor could he recognise the man in the flood of light that had entered. "I have been busy with your friends."

"Where are they?" Pietro demanded, fighting against his restraints.

A cruel smile crossed the man's face; an elderly man, but with no signs of frailness that one would usually associate with old age. "Not here."

"Thank you so much." Pietro rolled his eyes. "That was so helpful."

The man ignored him. "I hope this scum did not inconvenience you." He pronounced the 'v' in inconvenience as a 'w' and Pietro forced himself not to laugh.

Instead, he drew himself up with as much dignity as he could muster chained to a wall. "It takes more than a maniac attempting a do-it-yourself castration to inconvenience me." He couldn't resist mocking his captor's accent.

"Good." The man closed the door, casting them into half-light once more. "If he had inconvenienced you, I was going to offer you his tongue."

Pietro resisted the urge to gag. _Who the hell are these people? _"Believe me, sir, if he had inconvenienced me, you would no longer have a tongue with which to make such an offer."

The man smirked. "Let me assure you; if I no longer had a tongue with which to make such an offer, you would no longer have a tongue with which to tell me that, if I had inconvenienced you, I would no longer have a tongue with which to offer you his tongue."

Pietro's head throbbed. There was something strange about this whole situation, almost like the man was using these bizarre threats to lull him into a false sense of security. He wasn't going to let it work. "Yeah, well, that's enough. Who the hell are you, sausage-breath, and where the hell am I?"

"I am Lord Viper. Welcome to HYDRA headquarters."

Pietro was quiet for a few minutes, his mind racing. Lexa had mentioned a Madam Viper, when she had told him about taking HYDRA out. "You're the guy who ordered the revived Weapon X program."

"That was me." Lord Viper confirmed, a note of pride in his voice.

His girlfriend's face floated into his mind, stained with tears, and Pietro moved forwards automatically, realising that his powers were useless against his restraints. "You bastard!" He spat, cursing his inability to do anything. "Why can't you just leave her alone? She doesn't owe you anything!"

"We made her who she is." Lord Viper snapped.

"No, you wanted a weapon." Pietro corrected. "You wanted a mercenary. Someone who would kill without thought or compassion."

"And she has." Lord Viper smirked. "Or didn't she tell you about that?"

"She did." Pietro whispered. "But if you think she doesn't feel guilty over that, you're wrong. And you know you're wrong, or I wouldn't be here. If she's an emotionless weapon, she'll stay away, because she won't care enough to come after me."

"You know, you talk too much." Viper told him.

"So I've been told." Pietro responded, still scowling. _God, Lexa, stay away. I couldn't handle it if something happened to you._

But his prayers were left unanswered when the door flew open again.

"Lord Viper!" A voice shouted. "She's early!"

"Ah, wonderful." Viper moved away from the door to allow two men to fling Lexa in as though she were a sack of potatoes.

She landed on her back and lay perfectly still, even when she was chained herself.

"Lex …" Pietro moved instinctively towards her, only to find that his own chains were too short to let him.

"Strange." Viper commented. "I was expecting her to put up more of a fight. I hope you understand this means I can't bargain for your release yet."

Pietro rolled his eyes. "Oh dear." He deadpanned. "And I was hoping I'd be out of here by lunchtime."

Viper ignored him. "I will leave you for now. Plots don't just make themselves."

As soon as the door closed behind him and the heavy lock had fallen into place, Lexa pushed herself to her feet, no sign of head injury or fatigue, and he realised she had allowed herself to get captured. "You know, Pietro, when I said we should spend more time together, this wasn't what I had in mind."

"Me neither." Pietro muttered. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, dear." Lexa responded cheerfully, examining the chains that held her. "Medieval, aren't they? Are you alright?"

"Oh, fine; never better." Pietro rolled her eyes. "In fact, I'm thinking of buying a vacation home here; the view's fantastic."

"Sarcasm is a sign of insecurity, Pietro; stop it." Lexa advised mildly.

"Where are the others?" Pietro asked.

"Somewhere." Lexa shrugged. "Lexa's looking for them."

Pietro raised an eyebrow. "Not even you can be in two places at once, babe. And since when do you refer to yourself in the third person?"

Lexa smirked mischievously. "I don't."

In one swift movement, her restraints had fallen to the floor and Kitty was standing in front of her, brushing her uniform down. "Shall we?"

"Where's Lexa?" Pietro demanded, as she phased him through the chains.

"I told you, she's looking for the others." Kitty reminded him. "Stand back." She passed her hand through the lock and the door swung open.

The guard outside turned to them, but Kitty didn't give them time to speak.

Pietro winced automatically. "Damn, Kit-Kat; Lance was right. You do have one hell of a right hook."

"Why thank you." Kitty grinned. "Let's go."

* * *

"Any ideas?" Todd asked.

Lance sighed, pacing the length of the cell they were in. "Not since you last asked."

"Which was when?" Todd pressed.

"About five seconds ago." Lance stopped and sighed again. "Does anyone even know what HYDRA is? And why isn't Pietro with us?"

"They made Lexa into X-23." Wanda scowled. "And he's probably leverage to get her back. They've already done it once."

"Why?" Lucie asked, her voice shaking slightly. "I mean, they'd only known each other a week back then."

"We're talking about the people who pumped 23 kids full of molten metal." A familiar voice said from the now open door. "No one said they were sensible."

"Where's Pietro?" Wanda asked.

"Kitty's looking for him." Lexa answered.

Lance looked up sharply. "Kitty's here?"

"Didn't I just say that?" Lexa asked in response. "It was her idea. I knew you guys would be harder to find, so I'd have to come along. As soon as someone got to him, they'd know I was here but she couldn't come to find you, because she'd get caught in the process."

"So how is Kitty not supposed to get caught?" Lance demanded.

"Because she's pretending to be me." Lexa peered out into the corridor again. "Come on."

* * *

"It was a good plan." Lexa murmured ten minutes later. "Until now."

Kitty flinched in agreement.

"It might just be me." Fred muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "But I think we're screwed."

"No, we're screwed." Todd agreed.

The seven Brotherhood members and two X-Men were backed up against the steel metal wall of HYDRA HQ with soldiers occupying every possible exit.

"It's not over yet." Lucie protested quietly. "There's a door behind us."

"Unfortunately, it is." Lexa sighed. "We're airborne and that door is the outer hatch; leads to at least a 2000 foot drop." Her hand slipped into her pocket and clenched around the item she'd hidden there. _Kitty, how many people can you take?_

There was a pause. _Only about six, including me, but if I grab Lucie or Todd I can hold onto them._

"You're losing your touch, X-23." Lord Viper smirked. "Such a shame."

_Forget about us and break the lock when I give the signal. _"Pietro." Lexa murmured under her breath, her words masked by Viper's gloating. _Bastard_. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life." Pietro whispered back.

"Play along." Lexa cleared her throat, cutting Lord Viper off mid-sentence. "Look, if I promise to stay, will you let them go?"

"No!" Pietro protested, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Lex, you can't!"

_He is so predictable._ Lexa smirked. "Kitty, now!"

The door disappeared from behind you and they found themselves sucked out by the jet-stream.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lexa saw Kitty grab Lucie's arm and left the others to her, focussing on Pietro. "Don't let go!" She pulled the small box from her pocket, pressed a button and threw it into the air.

Pietro looked incredulous. "That was your plan?"

Lexa cupped his face with her free hand. "Trust me."

"I do." Pietro tightened his arms around her waist. "I do trust you, Lexa, but you're crazy. What the hell's that going to do?"

Before Lexa could respond, there was a soft _pop_ above them and she reached up without looking, catching hold of the metal bar that had appeared when the box had turned into a propeller.

"You were saying?"

"Impressive." Pietro commented, grabbing the bar as well. "Is this going to hold both of us?"

"It should." Lexa assured him. "Just don't let go of me. I can hang on a lot longer than you can."

"We'll see about that." Pietro smirked. "And you're still crazy."

* * *

Kitty felt her feet touch the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. Her hand automatically moved to her abdomen, rubbing gently. She gave Lucie a comforting smile, gently lowering the others to the ground as well. "You okay?"

"Been better." Lucie admitted shakily as Tabby came over and gave her a hug.

"Where are Pietro and Lexa?" Wanda asked.

Kitty tipped her head back, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Up there. Well, that explains Lexa's plan."

"Shadowcat!"

The shout floated up the hill and Kitty spun on her heel to see SHIELD agents sprinting towards them, Nick Fury in the lead.

Out of habit, she stood to attention and saluted. "General Fury."

"Who did HYDRA take?" Fury asked, his gaze moving from one face to the other.

Kitty nodded to them. "All present and accounted for except Quicksilver, who's on his way down with X-23."

Any response Fury had was cut off by an explosion far above them as the headquarters exploded into a cloud of fire and smoke.

Lucie let out a low whistle. "Did you see her do that?"

"Nope." Todd replied. "Where are they?"

"There!" Wanda replied.

"Oh, Lord Viper's probably dead." Kitty added, without looking round. "He was there."

"X-23 is dead." A voice stated calmly.

"Well, I suppose you could say that metaphorically." Kitty admitted, finally turning to see a blonde woman standing beside Fury. "But Lexa's right there." She pointed at the two figures that were getting steadily closer.

"This is Dr. Deborah Risman." Fury told her. "She used to work for HYDRA."

"Ah, our genetic splicer." Kitty commented coolly, remembering Wolverine's explanation after their first run-in. She took in their expressions, a few more of Logan's comments occurred to her and she understood. "I guess Logan didn't tell you she survived blowing up HYDRA the first time."

"Yeah, that sounds like something Wolverine would do." Lexa agreed, as she and Pietro landed softly beside them. She pressed something on the bar she was holding and the propeller folded itself back into a small box, which she slipped into her pocket. "I told you so."

Pietro didn't release her, kissing her forehead. "I never doubted you. But you're still crazy."

"You're only just realising this?" Kitty asked, ignoring several astonished expressions. "She's got adamantium running through her, for God's sake."

"What does that have to do with being crazy?" Lexa asked.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "One word, three syllables, rhymes with 'submarine'."

"Logan's not that bad." Lexa protested.

"Excuse me?" Pietro asked. "Do we know the same man?"

"He's not that bad if he likes you." Kitty amended. "Lucky for you, Quicksilver, he likes you."

Fury had been watching all this with a bemused expression. "X-23 …"

"Lexa, if you don't mind." She corrected. "In fact, call me Lexa or I'll hurt you."

Fury surveyed her for a moment, then chuckled. "Wolverine was right. You're gonna be just fine."

As soon as Fury had interrupted, Kitty had turned her attention to Deborah Risman. She was staring at Lexa, a curious expression on her face.

A glance to her right told her Pietro had noticed this as well: he had moved behind Lexa, his arms wrapping around her waist protectively, although, to the untrained eye, it looked like nothing more than an innocent gesture.

Lexa had a trained eye though and she tipped her head back to meet his eyes, a slight frown on his face; he shrugged with a smirk and she smiled softly before turning back to address Fury. "So I can stay with the X-Men, right?"

Kitty moved to stand behind her, meeting Fury's eyes. _She's seen too much. _She whispered in her head, trying not to let it reach him. _Please just leave her alone._

"The only reason we wanted to find you was to make sure you're okay." Fury told her calmly; Lexa and Kitty both knew he was lying, but they were willing to accept it if it made things easier. "This is Deborah Risman by the way."

Lexa nodded, covering Pietro's hands with her own in an unspoken plea for comfort. "I remember."

"We'll need to take statements." Fury glanced at Kitty. "Where do you think we should start?"

"Well, Pietro was separate from the others, but they were all together." Kitty told him quietly. "It makes sense to do it as a group. You'll get more out of them that way." Receiving a nod, she cleared her throat. "Guys?"

Lexa stayed in Pietro's arms as Kitty led the others away. She didn't move her gaze from Deborah.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions …" The other woman began.

Lexa laughed humourlessly. "Where do I begin … Mom?"

**

* * *

AN: Review please!**


	40. Explanations

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.**

* * *

Chapter Forty – Explanations

**February 1999**

"Wait, wait, wait …" Pietro cut in, looking bewildered. "_She's _your _mother_?"

"Keep your voice down." Lexa said quietly. "No one else knows. Not even Wolverine." She didn't turn to look at him. "Am I right?"

"Yes, you are." Deborah whispered, a pained expression on her face.

"Lex …" Pietro murmured, a touch of sympathy in his voice. Maybe if this revelation had come at any other time or place, she would have been annoyed at that; refusal to accept sympathy or pity was something they had in common.

But she could tell he tried to hide it. And even if he hadn't, she wouldn't care.

Not now.

"No." Lexa tightened her grip on his hands, leaning back against him subconsciously. "I need you here."

"Kitty said you were abducted from a hospital as a baby." Pietro said quietly.

"That's what SHIELD thinks." Lexa told him softly. "What I thought too, but I reorganised the infirmary filing cabinet last week and caught sight of my DNA profile. I've got a photographic memory. It took me a while to figure out where I'd seen it before." She met her mother's eyes openly. "Why? What could they have possibly offered to make you experiment on your own baby?"

"It wasn't that simple!" Deborah protested. "It's … I can't explain it …"

"Try." Lexa suggested sharply, feeling Pietro shift his hands so his were covering hers, tracing soothing patterns on her skin.

"They decided that it would be easier for me to get pregnant than for them to abduct babies; there are … places that help you out. I was so desperate to have a child that I didn't realise what I was doing until I was already pregnant." Deborah didn't break eye contact, seeming to beg Lexa to understand. "My first five pregnancies were boys; I miscarried every time. I think it was because I knew what was going to happen to them. When I found out you were a girl, I was so relieved. They were so insistent that it had to be a boy … The time I spent pregnant with you was the happiest nine months of my life. I figured that they'd start again and you'd be safe, but …"

"They decided to use me anyway." Lexa finished quietly. She knew she could get Kitty to check if the woman was telling the truth, but she didn't need a telepath; her emotions were strong enough for Lexa to sense in the air.

"The second you were born they took you away from me." Deborah faltered. "You have … You have no idea how awful it was … hearing my child screaming for me but powerless to get to you …"

"And the DNA?" Lexa prompted gently, unable to keep the harshness in her voice any longer.

"They said they'd put you through the process with or without it." Deborah fumbled for a tissue in her pocket, as her tears began to fall. "I left it for as long as I could, but … I couldn't lose you; I couldn't … Every day, I tried to find a way of getting us both out of there, but I couldn't … I tried so hard, but … I couldn't protect the one person I cared about."

Lexa watched as her mother finally looked away; she had never known that Deborah had stayed in an attempt to protect her.

Looking back, she could remember the time she'd spent with the woman … how she'd snuck pages of fairy-tales into combat manuals … how she was the only person who smiled at her … how she used to run a comforting hand across her forehead when she was sick … how she used to sneak sweet things into her meals without anyone noticing …

Now she thought about it, there was something else that had been bothering her.

Reaching out, Lexa touched Deborah's arm gently, drawing the woman's attention back to her. "When I escaped … there were holes in the security grid … every time I thought they might catch me, something happened. I thought it was luck or a coincidence, but … it was you, wasn't it?"

Deborah nodded, still trying to control her tears. "I managed to slip a virus into the system and activated it when you escaped. Once you were free, it was utter chaos and I managed to slip away to SHIELD. I was hoping that they could help both of us, but then they told me you'd been killed going after HYDRA and …" She finally lost her battle, sinking to her knees shaking with sobs. "I'm so sorry … I tried so hard …"

Lexa started forward instinctively, before glancing back at Pietro. She was confused.

Her boyfriend had been right when he'd pointed out that HYDRA had failed when it came to her; she wasn't a soulless emotionless weapon.

But just being emotionless didn't mean she always understood them and Deborah's actions didn't seem to follow through with love as she knew it.

Something Anna had said when they were talking Lorelai suddenly floated into her head: _"Having a child … it's like taking everything you know about your capacity to love is just turned on its head. Suddenly there's this little person and you'd do absolutely anything to protect them. Did you know a mother bear will eat her cubs if the food runs out? But it's been proven that it's not to save herself; it's to save them from a horrible death by starvation."_

Seeing the conflict in her eyes, Pietro kissed the side of her head lightly and released her. No longer able to use his embrace as an excuse not to move, Lexa moved instinctively, crouching beside her mother, feeling her own tears forming in her eyes.

When Lexa's hand touched her shoulder, Deborah wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding her tightly, rocking her soothingly in an attempt to bring comfort to both of them.

It would take a long time for Lexa to completely trust her mother, but she knew she'd do everything she could to get there.

* * *

Once the Brotherhood had taken statements and were waiting for Pietro and Lexa to talk to SHIELD, Lance pulled Kitty aside to talk to her.

"Are you alright?"

Kitty sighed. "Lance, I'm fine; I promise."

"What were you thinking?" Lance murmured into her hair, one arm around her waist, the other hand on her stomach.

"I was thinking I can't do this without you." Kitty glanced over her shoulder. "And Lexa was gonna do something stupid if I didn't come up with something." She cupped his face to get his attention. "I was careful, Lance. That's why I let them catch me; I knew that way I could control what happened rather than fighting back. I kept a shield around my stomach all the time."

"I'm worried about _you_ as well." Lance told her with a smile, kissing her.

"Well, I'm _always _careful." Kitty grinned. "I wasn't going to do anything reckless, Lance. Don't get me wrong; I'd walk through hell and back for you, but if it means putting this child in danger, you're on your own."

"Strangely enough, I'm alright with that." Lance kissed her forehead. "I love you, Kitten."

"I love you too, Shakedown." Kitty murmured, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Do you think she's okay?" Lance asked quietly, nodding towards Lexa, who was now talking to Fury, arm wrapped around Pietro's waist.

Kitty sighed. "I think she will be."

* * *

Somehow, Kitty and Lexa made it home before curfew with no one none the wiser about their rescue mission. Closing the front door behind them blocked out the sounds of the wind and twilight chorus, leaving them in strangely quiet house, and the two exchanged a frown before making their way to the rec room, pushing open the door to find a scene so peaceful that both took a moment to double-check their surroundings, just to make sure they'd entered the right house.

John was sat at one end of the couch, his back against the arm rest, his legs bent at the knee, but parted slightly to allow Amara to sit between them, leaning back against his chest, apparently half-asleep.

Remy was lounging at the other end of the couch, nodding to something John was saying, but watching Anna, who was lying on the floor, pulling faces at her daughter, whom she was holding above her.

Lorelai's gurgling was the only sound that filled the room, aside from the low hum of the TV, but the only people paying any attention to the latter were Ray, Roberto and Jamie, which was odd in itself, because the first two could rarely watch for more than a few minutes without a fight breaking out over what to watch.

Taryn was sat in Warren's lap – it hadn't taken those two long to get their acts together once Warren had realised that Scott had no problem with him dating his ex-girlfriend – and cradling one of the twins, probably Monica, judging by the pink hue of the baby's clothing, and talking to Scott, who was holding a sleeping Joey.

Sam and Rahne were curled up in one armchair, talking quietly and exchanging occasional kisses.

Bobby and Jubilee were in the other, but they were silent; the only sign either was still awake was Bobby stroking his fiancée's stomach absently, a tiny bump just visible under her shirt.

Almost hating to break the peaceful atmosphere, Kitty cleared her throat. "Where's everyone else?"

"Kurt's with Amanda." Jubilee answered without opening her eyes. "She leaves in two days on that cruise she doesn't wanna go on. But if her parents call, he's here."

"Noted." Kitty's eyes moved to the twins. "And Jean?"

"Infirmary." Scott didn't look at her. "Alex and Lorna were attacked in town today."

"Are they alright?" Lexa asked immediately.

"Jean kicked me out because I was 'getting in the way'." Scott admitted. "So I don't know."

With nary a glance between them, Kitty and Lexa turned on their heels and made a beeline for the infirmary, where they found Jean searching through the filing cabinet.

She glanced up as they entered, her hair tied back in a messy ponytail. "Lexa, where did you put Lorna's file?"

"It should be under P." Lexa answered, sparing her a glance. "You two alright?"

Alex shrugged, the movement causing him to wince. "Been better."

"What's the injury count?" Kitty asked.

"A lot of bruises and Alex has a broken arm." Jean straightened up. "Lex, what in God's name is Lorna's file doing under 'P'?"

"You told me to file under code-name." Lexa reminded her. "Lorna doesn't have one, so I made one up temporarily."

"Which is?" Lorna prompted.

"Polaris." Lexa told her. "You know, magnets."

"I like it." Lorna decided.

"Good." Jean handed Lexa the file. "Make yourself useful; check for allergies. Kitty, can you get a painkiller out please?"

"No allergies." Lexa frowned, turning the file around to get a better look at the information. "Er, Jean …"

"Not now, Lexa." Jean slipped a needle into Lorna's arm. "Don't move."

Rolling her eyes, Lexa opened the filing cabinet, finding the Q section, which was very small – in fact, it only had one file.

When she'd reorganised the cabinet, she'd only read her own file, respecting her team-mates' privacy. But finding a file with her boyfriend's name on it had caught her attention and she had glanced inside to make sure it had been labelled correctly.

It had been and she'd moved on, deciding not to question why the X-Men had files on the Brotherhood as well, but her photographic memory had seen enough and something had just struck her.

Pulling out the file labelled 'Quicksilver', she opened it again, holding the two DNA profiles side by side.

Just to make sure, Lexa then searched the 'S' section and extracted Wanda's file, flipping that open as well. "Jean …"

"Not now, Lexa." Jean repeated. "Thanks, Kitty."

"Jean …"

"Lexa, not _now_!" Jean insisted. "How are you feeling, Lorna?"

But it wasn't Lorna who answered. Lexa, staring at the samples in front of her, decided not to bother with sugar-coating her discovery.

"She's Pietro's sister."

**

* * *

AN: Review please!**


	41. Family

**Disclaimer: The only things I own are a slightly worn stuffed dog and a boatload of student debt … which is, apparently, going to get even bigger. Thanks government!**

**Anyway, apologies for the delay; I was on a Harry Potter kick, which was a novelty for me, so I decided to get some of those stories written, or continued at the very least.**

* * *

Chapter Forty One – Family

**February 1999**

For a few seconds, time seemed to be suspended; the entire infirmary plunged into a state of shock by Lexa's revelation.

Finally, Lorna broke the silence. "How is that possible?"

"Lorna's right, Lexa." Jean agreed, her voice wavering slightly. "Aunt Judy definitely only had two babies and Lorna's only a few months younger than them; there's no way …"

"Oh, wake up, Jean!" Kitty rolled her eyes, having recovered a lot quicker. "Magneto abducted their children when they were three months old; I don't think he'd be above cheating on her. _And_ it would explain her powers."

"Look, I know DNA." Lexa told them. "They are related. Look."

Jean took the files and compared the samples, holding them every which way before finally looking up and meeting Lorna's gaze. "I'm afraid she's right, Lor. Even if you're not their sister …"

"Which she is." Lexa inserted.

Jean glared at her, before turning back to Lorna. "Even _if_ you're not, you're definitely related."

Lexa returned to the filing cabinet and found Jean's file. "You're filed under 'M', Jeannie."

"Don't call me that." Jean told her. "And of course. Where else would I be?" She rolled her eyes. "Why am I under 'M'?"

"Marvel Girl." Lexa shrugged. "I thought it was cool in a super-hero kinda way. You know, there's Superman, Wonder Woman and now …" She gestured to Jean.

"Marvel Girl." Jean finished, clearly trying to be polite. "Well … I'll think about it."

Lexa chuckled. "You don't have to like it, Jean; it was just a suggestion. No, you and Lorna aren't related at all; it must be through Magneto, which makes sense because of the powers thing."

"Yeah, it'd be weird if they were related through Judy and she ended up with Magneto's powers anyway." Kitty muttered.

"Do you think my mother knew?" Lorna whispered, staring at the files Jean handed her and ignoring Kitty. "Do you think he did the same thing to her as he did to your aunt? Did she just sit at home waiting for him to come back?"

Alex, who had been watching the exchange silently, got up and perched on the edge of her hospital bed, wrapping his good arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Lor; it's not the end of the world."

But this did little to comfort her. She slumped sideways into his chest and began to cry, her body heaving with sobs.

The three girls looked at each other, unsure of what to say or do. Finally, the intercom buzzed, breaking the awkward tension.

Almost automatically, Kitty answered it. "Good evening; Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters."

"_It's Abby."_

"Let her in, Kitty." Jean told her.

"Come in." Kitty released the gates and sent a telepathic message up to the rec room. _Could someone get the door and show Abby down to the infirmary?_

_Got it._ Scott's voice responded.

A few minutes later, the infirmary doors swung open, revealing Scott, Abby and another familiar face.

"Nice to see you again, Mrs. Maximoff." Lexa greeted, as Abby hugged her son, explaining that her husband couldn't get away from work at the same time as searching him for other injuries.

Judy pulled a face. "Please, dear, call me Judy. Or Ms Grey if you prefer. The only reason I haven't divorced him is that I can't find him."

"You could if you could prove he'd cheated on you." Jean suggested. "Then the courts should just absolve the marriage."

"Now just how am I supposed to do that?" Judy sighed. "I can't even find him; let along go through his phone records?"

"Well, you've got an indisputable piece of evidence right here." Lorna whispered.

Jean cleared her throat. "Aunt Judy, you remember Lorna from Christmas? Well, we've just found out she's Pietro and Wanda's half-sister through their father." She gave Scott a look as though daring him to say something.

Luckily for him, he kept his mouth shut.

Lorna kept her gaze fixed on her lap as Judy took the seat beside the cot, reaching out to her.

"Come on, dear; it's not your fault." The older woman smiled weakly. "And I'll try not to turn into the wicked stepmother, okay?"

The corners of Lorna's mouth twitched as she looked up. "So no poisoned apples then?"

Judy pulled her into a hug. "I'll do my best."

"Mom …" Alex whined, trying to get away from Abby. "I'm fine!"

Jean sniggered. "He's telling the truth, Abby; it's just a broken arm."

"Just?" Abby repeated incredulously. "Jean, someone beat my son purely because he was born! Did you see who it was, sweetheart?"

"Yeah." Alex pulled a face. "At least, enough to pick them out of a line-up; I haven't been here long, so I couldn't name them. I think they were BHS students, thought; they were wearing Varsity jackets."

"That doesn't mean anything." Jean sighed. "Most jocks keep their jackets for ages afterwards."

"I think it's because they can't get into college." Kitty added thoughtfully.

Lexa snorted. "There's a surprise. What are they going to major in? Mutant Hating 101?"

"Speaking of majors, you thought about yours?" Jean asked Kitty.

Kitty shrugged. "I'm still not sure if I'm even _going_ to college yet."

"What?" Jean demanded.

Everyone grabbed their head as her shout echoed inside everyone's heads as she unwittingly broadcast her surprise.

"Dammit, Jean!" Kitty snapped, rubbing her temples. "Cut it out!"

The other door to the infirmary opened and Belladonna staggered in. "_Mon dieu … _You'd think I'd get used to that."

"None of us are." Kitty scowled. "What was that for?"

"Kitty, why don't you want to go to college?" Jean asked, unfazed by their frustration.

"I didn't say I _wasn't_ going." Kitty rolled her eyes. "I just don't see the point in going, majoring in something that doesn't interest me and wasting three years of my life. It's alright for you; you want to be a doctor; you've wanted to be a doctor since you were, what, five? I've got no idea what I want to do and, until I do …"

"You once said you were interested in law." Jean reminded her.

Kitty pulled a face. "Yeah, back before I realised how many ins and outs there were – no thank you."

"Dammit, Jean!" Anna snapped from the doorway, unknowingly repeating Kitty's earlier reprimand. "I just got Lorie to sleep!"

"Sorry." Jean sighed. "You're right, Kitty."

"I always am." Kitty smirked. "Can we do anything about the guys that did this?" She asked, changing the subject back to Alex and Lorna's predicament.

"I don't think so." Belladonna admitted. "You could log a complaint with the police, but since neither of them can ID their attackers …"

"Not much we can do." Jean sighed. "And Lance just contacted me; they've talked to the detectives on the shooting case."

This caught Kitty's attention, and Lexa's too apparently, by the way she stiffened. "And?"

"Duncan's pleading not guilty." Jean grimaced. "Which means it's going to court."

"Great." Lexa groaned.

"How is that even possible?" Abby demanded, having been filled in on the whole situation on New Year's Day. "You have it on camera, don't you?"

Belladonna looked worried. "Actually, there is one way a defence attorney could argue for a dismissal."

"What's that?" Kitty asked quietly.

"The charge would be attempted homicide, I should think," Bella whispered, "and, genetically, you're not human. You're mutants. Theoretically …"

"If that argument works," Kitty stated darkly, "we're dead the second we step out the door." Her hands drifted down to her stomach again automatically. "They can't accept that as a defence … can they?"

"They can." Jean buried her face in her hands. "Oh, this is bad."

"Well, we shouldn't have just assumed that attitudes would just be completely resolved after Apocalypse." Anna commented with a sigh. "Humans will always fear what they don't understand. It's part of human nature." She glanced at Lorna. "You alright, sugar?"

Lorna took a deep breath. "Apparently Magneto is my father."

Anna winced sympathetically. "Not your fault. Talk to Kurt; he had to deal with finding out Mystique was his mother."

"You did that too." Jean reminded her.

"Yeah, but I'm adopted." Anna reminded her. "Kurt's not."

"You'd better call Pietro and Wanda." Lexa added. "They deserve to know."

Lorna nodded. "Am I clear to leave?"

"Go ahead." Belladonna answered. "You too, Alex, but keep that sling on."

"He will." Abby helped her son out of the hospital bed. "C'mon; I want to see where you live."

Jean's baby monitor crackled on her belt. "Go with them, hon." She told Scott. "I'll get the twins."

Anna sighed. "I'd better check that Remy's got Lorie off to sleep." She followed Lorna and Judy out of the room, leaving Belladonna and Kitty alone.

"They won't win." Belladonna told her quietly. "They can't win."

Kitty nodded jerkily, but she couldn't help worrying. "Could you …?"

Belladonna pushed the door to the infirmary closed and flicked a switch that would turn on a red light outside, signalling that she couldn't be disturbed. "Take a seat."

"Thanks." Kitty settled on one of the hospital beds and waited for Bella to warm up the sonogram.

"You're sure about not telling anyone?" Belladonna asked.

Kitty smiled weakly. "Yeah. My mom had loads of problems when she was trying to have me; I don't want to jinx it."

"Or put your body through the stress of having to deal with their reactions?" Belladonna guessed wryly.

"That too." Kitty agreed, almost absently.

"So you're about six weeks along." Belladonna commented. "Any nausea?"

"Not that I've noticed." Kitty answered, her eyes on the screen. "But my appetite's getting bigger."

"That's normal." Belladonna assured her. "Unfortunately, it's usually followed by morning sickness … Here we go …"

* * *

An hour later, Kitty slipped into the boarding house, hearing the soft noise of voices in the living room. She phased her head through the door, but no one flinched, completely used to it by now.

"Lance?" She asked.

"His room." Pietro answered, not opening his eyes. He was sprawled across the couch, one arm over his face.

"Jean told us what happened." Kitty said softly. "It'll be okay."

"I couldn't care less what happens to Matthews." Pietro growled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "As long as Lexa was okay … but now I've got to worry about everyone else."

"It'll be okay." Kitty repeated. "We'll fix it."

"Thanks, Kit-Kat." She heard him call as she withdrew and jogged up the stairs.

Just like with the front door and the living room, Kitty didn't bother knocking, letting herself into her boyfriend's room. "Hey."

"Hey, beautiful." Lance stood up, putting his guitar to one side.

"Am I interrupting something?" Kitty asked, kissing him softly.

"Just tuning up." Lance told her, concern drifting into his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Kitty assured him. "I just thought you'd like to see this." She handed him the picture Belladonna had produced.

Lance sat down heavily, staring at it. "Is this what I think it is?"

Kitty smiled shakily. "That's our baby."

"Oh my God …" Lance pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. "I love you, Kitten."

"I love you too." Kitty whispered, their hands joining on her stomach.

In that moment she couldn't help agreeing with Pietro; Duncan Matthew's fate seemed unimportant.

As long as they had each other, they could face anything that was thrown at them.

**

* * *

AN: Bit of a cheesy ending, I'll admit. ****So sue me … ****On second thoughts, please don't. Keep those reviews coming please!**


	42. Reconciliation?

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution. I do own the plot, Lorelai LeBeau, Monica and Joey Summers and Lucie Cartwright.**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Two – Reconciliation?

**February 1999**

To be fair, Wanda would argue later, no one could blame her. Any young woman walking alone through the back-streets of Bayville – especially if they were mutant and especially after the events of the last few days – was in danger of being attacked.

That was the only reason – she insisted – when a young man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, she hexed him into the nearest wall.

"Ow …"

Wanda narrowed her eyes, realising the voice sounded somewhat familiar, trying to remember where she'd seen him before. Then she remembered. "Shit." She muttered, kneeling beside him. "Evan? Can you hear me?"

With a groan, Evan's eyes cracked open. "Did someone get the number of the bus that hit me?"

"That was me." Wanda admitted. "Sorry."

Evan rubbed his head. "Don't I know you?"

"Wanda." She reminded him. "Pietro's sister."

"Oh yeah." Evan stood up and leaned against the wall.

"Are you okay?" Wanda asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Evan assured her. "It was my fault; I should've looked before I went topside."

"Top …" Wanda glanced down to see a manhole lying open at her feet. "Oh, yeah; Kitty told me what happened. Wait a second." She looked back at him with a double-take. "Shouldn't you be … I dunno …"

"Spiky?" Evan suggested. "Yeah, I dunno what happened. One minute I look like stegosaurus, the next I'm back to normal."

"So you're rejoining the X-Men then?" Wanda guessed, falling into step beside him as he began walking in the direction of the Institute.

"Rejoining?" Evan grinned. "I never really left. Besides, the Morlocks told me to go for it. Callisto's got things covered and they've got my number if they need me."

"Right." Wanda was quiet for a few minutes, debating whether to broach the subject. "So what's the deal with you and Pietro? I mean, you were best friends, then I went to the hospital; I get out and you can't stand each other."

Evan sighed. "I don't know." He admitted. "When you didn't show up to school that day, I asked him where you were and he just blew up at me."

"What did he say?" Wanda asked with a frown.

"God only knows." Evan rolled his eyes. "I don't know when his powers emerged, but he already spoke in super-speed, especially when he was upset. I guess he wanted to take it out on someone and I happened to be there. If I'd known where you were, I'd have backed off, but I didn't, so I fought back. By the time I knew why he'd reacted how he did, we were on separate teams, and we'd been enemies for so long that it was too late to fix what had happened."

_It's never too late. _Wanda opened her mouth to tell him just that, before closing it again, falling into a thoughtful silence.

As a child, Wanda had had what appeared to be a charmed life. Aside from the unfortunate death of her mother in childbirth, she had a devoted father and a wonderful twin brother who, aside from the occasional argument, she got along perfectly well with. She even got along with his friends and it wasn't uncommon for Wanda to join him at the Evans' for tea; she had come to see Violet Daniels as the mother figure she lacked and – though neither would have admitted it because Pietro was already overprotective and they were at _that_ age – she and Evan were just as good friends as the boys.

When she was nine-years-old, she had overheard a conversation between her father and his friend, Ms. Darkholme – who occasionally joined them for dinner – about the latter's adopted daughter, Anna, who lived with her foster mother. Magneto had advised Ms. Darkholme against telling Anna the truth saying that ignorance was bliss, citing his own children as an example.

Wanda had demanded to know what he meant and, finally, Magneto had admitted that their mother wasn't dead and that he had taken them against her will; she hadn't even left them.

In her anger, her powers had emerged, nearly taking the house with them. Her father had taken her to the hospital the next day.

In her mind's eye, Wanda could still see Pietro at her father's side as they walked out of the ward, neither looking back as she screamed and cried, fighting against the nurses who stopped her from running after her family.

"Hey." Evan's voice broke into her thoughts and she realised, belatedly, that she had begun crying. He stopped walking, turning to face her, and managed to find a relatively clean tissue to give her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Wanda dried her eyes. "Well, no, that's a lie." She admitted, when Evan gave a look that clearly stated he didn't buy that. "Pietro and I have been avoiding talking about the past for that very reason – it's too late. But when _you _said that, I was about to tell you it was never too late."

"Maybe it's not too late." Evan suggested. When a smile appeared on her face, he backtracked hastily. "At least for you two."

Wanda bit back a laugh, noticing as she did that they had reached the dirt track where they would part. "Evan, do you want me to talk to Pietro for you?"

"No!" Evan protested. "That is … I don't want … you know …"

Wanda rolled her eyes. _Boys_. "Alright. I'll see you later."

"You too."

Waving absently, Wanda jogged the remaining few miles to the Boarding House. As she hung her jacket up inside the front door, she noted that it was strangely quiet.

Of course, for the Brotherhood, anything less than the amount of noise usually reserved for a drunken audience at a rock concert could be considered quiet, but this evening, the only nose was a soft strumming coming from the living room.

Glancing in as she passed, Wanda stopped, a fond smile gracing her face.

Lucie was curled up at one end of the couch, reading a book. Todd, it seemed, had fallen asleep next to her, and had slumped sideways with his head resting on her shoulder.

Lance was in one of the armchairs, strumming a soft tune on his guitar, a piece of paper on the coffee table in front of him. Every so often, he would stop and jot something down.

Wanda knew from experience not to interrupt 'the process', as Lance called it, so she didn't announce her presence. Continuing, she discovered that Freddie and Tabitha were in the kitchen; Fred seemed to be trying to teach Tabby how to cook something.

"Hey." Wanda called softly. "You seen my brother?"

"He's in his room." Tabby answered, not taking her eyes off the scales in front of her.

"What are you making?" Wanda asked.

"Chocolate chip and peanut-butter cookies." Fred grinned. "My mom's recipe."

Wanda pretended not to notice the spasm of sadness that crossed her house-mate's face, instead thanking them and making her way to find her brother.

She couldn't help feeling quite nervous as she tapped on the door. Despite the front they put up for the rest of the Brotherhood and their family, the twins had never spoken about the past, opting to stay on safer topics.

"Come in."

Pietro's room was like his personality: obsessively neat. Wanda got the impression that Pietro measured the spaces between items, just to make sure they were the same; it was a good thing Lexa had military background and was used to this sort of compulsive neatness, or she'd never put up with him. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Pietro greeted, putting a marker in his book. "What's up?"

"I didn't think it was possible for you to read a book at normal speed." Wanda teased, unable to resist.

Pietro smirked. "Just because I rarely do something, doesn't mean I can't. Sometimes I enjoy taking things slowly."

Wanda took a deep breath. "We need to talk."

"Okay." With a gust of wind, Pietro had returned the book to the shelf and appeared behind her with a chair. "What about?"

"I ran into Evan just now." Wanda began, sitting down opposite him as he returned to sit on the edge of his mattress. "I asked him what happened between you."

"Yeah?" To his credit, Pietro didn't flinch. "What did he say?"

"That he didn't know; you just blew up at him the day after I went into hospital." Wanda answered, holding his gaze.

A pained expression crossed his face and Pietro closed his eyes. "I needed to blame someone … I couldn't blow up at myself, so I chose the next best thing." When he opened his eyes again, there were tears sparkling in them. "I'm so sorry. He was just so insistent that it was the right thing to do and … Dammit, I was scared, alright! Is that what you wanna hear? I was so scared of our father that I let him lock you away!"

With another gust of wind, he was gone and Wanda sighed, massaging her temples. "Well, that went well.

* * *

Lexa didn't need enhanced senses to hear Pietro arrive on her balcony. Rolling her eyes, and mentally thanking some higher power that Logan was away, she got out of bed and slipped a robe on, before unlocking the balcony doors. Before she could reprimand her boyfriend, she caught sight of her boyfriend's red-rimmed eyes and immediately wrapped her arms around him, feeling him bury his face in her hair, taking deep breaths to try to maintain some semblance of control.

"You're lucky Wolverine's not here." Lexa murmured, wiping away a stray tear.

"Sorry." Pietro whispered. "I didn't know where else to go."

"It's alright." Lexa led him inside and they sat on the floor, leaning against her bed. "But you still don't have long. It's past curfew and security's a hell of a lot better than it was. What happened?"

The story came out in a rush. Lexa held him close as he confessed how he had abandoned his sister and how much he regretted it.

When he had finished, they lapsed into silence, while Lexa gave Pietro a few minutes to compose herself. Then she allowed another five minutes to compose herself. Then she spent a further five minutes trying to figure out the best way to go about the subject before giving up and smacking him over the head.

"Hey!" Pietro protested. "What was that for?"

"Pietro, if you regret what happened so much, what are you talking to me for?" Lexa asked with a sigh. "Why aren't you talking to Wanda about this?"

"Because I …" Pietro hesitated.

"Because?" Lexa prompted.

"I don't deserve for her to forgive me." Pietro mumbled, almost too quietly for her sensitive ears to hear. Almost.

"Alright." Lexa stood up and dragged him to his feet. "Pietro, you know I love you, but you're being an idiot. Now go and talk to your sister."

"Alright." Pietro kissed her. "Love you."

"Love you too." Lexa called after him as he disappeared. She shook her head with a smile, falling back onto her bed. _What am I going to do with that man?_

* * *

Wanda knew that Pietro would be back – he always was – so she stayed where she was until he reappeared in front of her. "Lexa?"

Pietro shrugged. "I needed someone who wasn't afraid to beat some sense into me."

"And did she?" Wanda asked, knowing the answer.

Pietro rubbed the back of his head. "You could say that. Listen, Wanda, I'm so sorry. I wanted to help you, but I didn't know how and …"

Wanda rolled her eyes. "You always did talk too much."

"So are we good?" Pietro asked hesitantly.

Wanda sighed. "Yeah, we're good. Now give me a hug so we can get the whole 'touchy-feely' thing over with."

Pietro laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, sis."

"I love you too." Wanda pulled away and kissed his cheek. "Now you've got to come and see where Toad's fallen asleep."

"Lucie's lap?" Pietro guessed, grabbing his camera.

"No." Wanda grinned. "But so close."

* * *

Two days later, the Brotherhood turned up at the Institute, who – for once – welcomed them with open arms.

Thanks to the publicity Duncan's arrest and the shooting had attracted, the trial had come around much sooner than it ordinarily would have done; in fact, it had only taken a few days.

Not even Scott complained as Tabby, Lucie, Todd and Fred joined the New Mutants in the rec room and Lance went to sit with Kitty, who promptly relocated herself to his lap.

Pietro had put his foot down and told his team-mates to stay there during the trial, although he had resigned himself to the fact that Wanda wasn't going to listen.

It hadn't looked like the others would either, but Lance understood where Pietro was coming from and agreed.

No one was stupid enough not to realise that losing this case would give other mutant-haters the opening they needed.

The rec room was ominously quiet as Professor Xavier, Storm, Wolverine and Lexa joined Wanda, Pietro, Judy and Sara.

After a second's hesitation, Lorna joined them. She and Pietro exchanged a few quiet words before he gave a resigned nod and she and Wanda exchanged a victorious smirk.

Lance snorted quietly. "She's only known for a few days; they're already ganging up on him."

"That's what we do, Lance." Kitty murmured, closing her eyes.

Across the room, Scott gave Lance a glare that clearly told him that the only reason he wasn't intervening was that the twins had picked up on the dismal atmosphere and were clinging to their parents.

"Scott's gonna kill me." Lance whispered in her ear.

Kitty groaned lightly. "Git. You'd think he'd realise Jean being your sister means you're her brother." She opened her eyes again, a frown creasing her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Lance looked a little startled. "Why?"

"Before we knew that Scott was Abby's son, you said you were close as kids." Kitty reminded him. "And now he hates you. He's not even trying."

Lance chuckled. "He's always been stubborn and I don't think it's sunk in yet." Realising that she wasn't going to let it go, he sighed. "Look, you're right. I shouldn't be okay with this, but … he's nothing like the kid I grew up with. Hell, we spent most of the time we were supposed to be doing homework forging sick-notes."

Kitty laughed. "No way! _Our_ Scott?"

Her laugh was just a little too loud and a lot of people looked up, ready for anything to lessen the tension in the room.

Jean smirked. "Telling her baby stories, Lance?"

"Something like that." Lance and Kitty shared a grin.

"Did you tell her about the time Mr. Delaney was trying to get us to try more extra-curricular activities?" Jean asked, a glint in her eye that caused Scott to groan.

"Honey …" He began.

"No." Kitty cut him off. "What happened?"

"Nothing really." Jean shrugged. "It just always makes me laugh." She sat up, adjusting Joey on her lap. "So it's the end of our English Language lesson, we're nine-years-old and lunch is coming up, when Mr. Delaney pulls out a list of activities and tells us he's going to read them out. Scott says, and I quote, "Great; why doesn't he shoot us while he's at it."" Jean broke off, laughing. "Sorry, it's even funnier now."

Lance grinned. "So Mr. Delaney says, "Lance, please …" and I said, "It wasn't me; it was Scott."

"So Mr. Delaney just shrugs and goes, "Same thing."" Jean sniggered. "As I recall, we all signed up for scuba club. Two minutes until lunch-time and Delaney's trying to get us to tell him what 'scuba' is an acronym of."

"I still like mine." Lance commented.

"What was yours?" Kitty asked curiously.

"Duba." Scott answered dryly.

"Better than yours." Lance retorted.

"Which was?" Bobby prompted with a grin.

"Something's Creepy Under Boat …" Jean paused. "… Andy."

Several people laughed, grateful for the relief. Scott didn't laugh. "Monica needs changing." He told Jean quietly. "I got it."

"Thanks." Jean murmured, the smile fading slightly from her face. "Well, it was worth a shot." She commented once he'd left the room, glancing over at her brother. "Sorry."

"It's fine, Jeannie." Lance told her.

"No, it's not!" Jean scowled. "You were best friends! What changed?"

"We did." Lance answered calmly. "Look, Jean, I know you want to fix this, but you need to accept the fact that maybe it can't be fixed. If it can, it'll come in its own time."

Jean sighed, bouncing Joey lightly as he began fussing. "I suppose you're right."

Kitty frowned, glancing up at the clock. It was only ten minutes since the others had left, but it felt like a lifetime. "Lance," she murmured.

Lance followed her gaze and kissed her forehead. "It'll be alright." He whispered. "I'm not letting anything happen to you … either of you."

Kitty nodded, burying her face in the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

Across the room, Bobby and Jubilee were in a similar position, though no one noticed that Lance and Bobby were rubbing their girlfriends' stomachs in exactly the same way.

Unable to bear the silence anymore, Kurt cleared his throat. "Did I ever tell you about the time I got the flu?"

Kitty groaned into Lance's shoulder, knowing the story.

"No." Ray answered, playing wingman. "What happened?"

By the end of the story, everyone was smiling, some almost crying with laughter. The Brotherhood had known that Kitty somehow ended up in their living room with the flu in her night-shirt, but she'd never explained how it had happened.

With good reason, apparently.

This story made way for others, as Kurt, Ray and Evan, occasionally helped by Bobby, kept everyone smiling, taking their minds off their worries.

Finally, the door to the rec room opened again and Pietro and Lexa walked in, followed by Wanda and Lorna.

The room fell silent again as everyone stared at them.

"Well?" Lance prompted, his arm tightening around Kitty again. His action was echoed across the room, as Bobby and Sam pulled Jubilee and Rahne closer, Amara gripped John's hand tightly, and Jean and Anna clung to their children.

Pietro's face broke into a grin. "Guilty."

Relief rippled through the room taking with it a wave of emotion.

"Thank God." Kitty whispered, standing on shaky legs and making her way over to the door. "Thank God."

"We owe the DA." Wanda informed her, accepting her hug. "Big time. He made a very passionate closing argument and that was what swung it for us."

"And Pietro was wonderful." Lexa added, giving him a glowing look. "He didn't flinch, no matter what the defence threw at him."

Kitty hugged him as well, kissing his cheek. "Well done."

Surprisingly, Evan had followed Kitty and stood awkwardly for a few seconds, before holding his hand out. "Congrats, man."

Pietro chuckled and grasped his hand. "Hell, Daniels, don't go gettin' all girly on me."

Evan sniggered. "Not in this lifetime, Maximoff."

Jean watched this with a slightly wistful expression and her brother slung an arm around her shoulders. "Relax, Jeannie. It'll get better. We've got time."

"Yeah." Jean sighed. "I know." She smiled as Lance took his nephew out of her arms to allow her to focus on Monica, who had started crying. The boy fussed a little bit and settled down, gazing up at him with serene eyes that were slowly turning his mother's shade of green.

"They love you." Jean commented.

"They'd better." Lance grumbled without feeling. "I am their uncle after all." He adjusted the baby's bib and Joey caught hold of his finger tightly, causing him to smile.

Moving back now, to let the rest of the Brotherhood talk to their team-mate, Kitty watched Lance talk to his sister, holding Joey in his arms. Her hands moved to her stomach and she smiled, knowing that, in eight months, it would be their own child he cradled and assured that he would be a wonderful

**

* * *

AN: Few points. First of all, I took the story Jean and Lance told from a Boy Meets World episode; can't remember which one, but I didn't make it up. Second of all, yes, I know trials and court-cases take a hell of a lot longer, but I wanted to wrap this up quickly. And thirdly, I'm aware Wanda was much too matter-of-fact about the institution, but there is a reason (think **_**The Toad, the Witch and the Wardrobe**_**) which will be resolved at some point.**

**Aside from that, you've all been amazing so far, so keep at it and review please!**


	43. Loophole

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Three – Loophole

**February 1999**

So just a quick recap as to where everyone is:

Cyclops and Jean were in the midst of planning a wedding, as well as raising the twins and heading X-Factor – a new name that had been coined when Logan and Ororo got fed up of ordering 'you lot' to the Danger Room – which consisted of Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Rogue and Spyke, who, of course, was back from the Morlocks and honing the new skills he'd picked up.

Rogue and Gambit had decided to let one wedding get out of the way before they thought about their own – especially since Jean was becoming increasingly stressed out – and were focusing on their daughter, who looked more and more like her mother with each passing day, even to the extent of developing a lock of white-blonde hair in the midst of a head of brown.

Shadowcat was spending more time with the Brotherhood, even as Cyclops seemed to be coming up with more training sessions for her. His reasoning was that she needed to learn how to control the extra power she now possessed, but she was fully aware that it was to keep her from spending any more time with Lance. Had she had any concerns, she would have put her foot down, but Bella assured her that the extra training didn't pose any danger for her unborn child, so she went along with it, 'escaping' whenever she could.

Nightcrawler was quieter and less likely to joke around, unless it looked like everyone needed it and Iceman wasn't stepping up to the plate; it was clear to everyone that he missed Amanda and everyone was looking forward to the day she returned.

Jubilee now four months pregnant, was having no problems except for having to continually repeat to Iceman that she wasn't made of glass and could take light training.

Iceman was still running the New Mutant training sessions, but it had been decided that a new team would be created. The New Mutants consisted, as they had always done, of Iceman, Jubilee, Sunspot, Magma, Berserker, Cannonball, Wolfsbane and Multiple, with the relatively recent addition of Gambit and Pyro.

Havoc became the leader of the third X-Men team, X-Force, taking charge of Polaris, X-23, Angel and Taryn, who, after much deliberation, had taken the name Psylocke.

Over at the Brotherhood, they were becoming quietly concerned with the amount of training Shadowcat was dealing with, and Lucie – who had taken the code-name Circe after the Greek goddess who granted Odysseus safe passage home – and Boom-Boom had set up a betting pool to see how far Cyclops could push Shadowcat before she hung up her uniform and joined them.

Pyro, meanwhile, was beginning to worry about his girlfriend. Amara had been noticeably avoiding him lately; not really going out of her way to, but she no longer sought him out and John was at a loss as to why.

At least, he was until the day before Valentine's Day.

A good portion of the mansion was empty and John himself was lounging in the vacant rec room, watching TV without really paying any attention to it. The intercom buzzed and he groaned, knowing he was the only person who was in a position to answer it. Somehow, he managed to reach the intercom button without actually getting up. "Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, how can I help?"

"_Good morning. My name is Eduardo Aquilla; I'm Amara's father."_

With a thud, John fell off the couch. "Ow …"

"_Are you alright, young man?" _A woman's voice asked.

"Yes, thank you, ma'am." John got to his feet, rubbing his arm. "Please come in." He pressed the button to open the gate and hurried out the front door, meeting them halfway down the drive.

Amara's parents were nothing like he thought they would be. Having heard stories of what Amara was like when she first arrived in America, he had expected – not that he would ever admit it to her face – a haughty, stuck-up couple, but it appeared that Nova Roma had progressed dramatically since Amara had lived there.

Eduardo stuck out his hand and shook John's heartily. "Pleasure, young man. Don't bother with titles; we're all the same on the inside, aren't we?"

John couldn't help returning his grin. "If you insist, sir. I'm John Allerdyce … I don't know if Amara mentioned me?"

"She told us last month." Amara's mother shook his hand as well. "Miranda Aquilla … That's actually why we're here."

John couldn't help groaning. "See, I hate that immediately. Come in." He led them into the mansion and paused outside the rec room. "Actually, I think the living room might be a bit more appropriate. Heaven knows what Bobby did to that carpet. Can I get you anything?" He added, showing them into the living room.

"A cup of tea would be lovely, dear." Miranda answered.

"Of course." John hoped that their friendly treatment of him meant that their reason for visiting was a good one. "How do you take it?"

"Milk, two sugars." Miranda smiled, settling on the couch.

"Just milk please." Eduardo joined his wife. "Does Amara know we're here?"

"Probably not." John answered. "I'll sort that out and then I'll go and tell her." Hurrying to the kitchen, he sent a carefully controlled flame at the kettle, heating it quickly, and poured two cups of tea, dropping them off on his way upstairs.

Stopping outside Amara's door, he knocked softly. "Amara? Can I come in?" He didn't get a response and sighed. "Sweetheart, your parents are downstairs."

"Damn …"

"Alright." John pushed the door open. "What is going on? Why are you avoiding me?"

Amara looked up, ready to deny it, but seeing the look in his eyes realised it wouldn't work anyway. "It's not you." She insisted. "I just … I found something out."

John froze. "Oh, God … you're not pregnant, are you?"

Amara rolled her eyes. "No, honey; I'm not pregnant."

"Thank God." John breathed, leaning against the wall for support; that, now, with her parents here, would _not_ have been easy to deal with. "Don't do that."

"But good to know where you are." Amara finished. "Look, I'm just worried about my parents meeting you."

"Why?" John asked, though he had a sinking suspicion he already knew. "They seem like nice people."

"John …" Amara broke off with a sigh, shaking her head, evidently giving up on explaining it. "Where are they?"

"Living room." John called, jogging after her as she hurried down the stairs.

"Mother! Father!" Amara hugged her parents tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, your mother decided that it would be nice to visit." Eduardo replied.

"You haven't told him yet, have you?" Miranda added sternly.

"Well, I was thinking maybe … possibly … no." Amara admitted.

"Tell me what?" John asked as he loitered in the doorway, dreading the answer but needing to know.

"Amara, your father wants to talk to you." Miranda stood up, moving to the doorway. "Now, John, I've heard so much about the gardens here. Would you mind giving me a tour?"

"Of course not, ma'am; this way." John offered her his arm and led her through the kitchen and out into the grounds. Not far from the main house, there was a gated wall that led to Storm's walled garden.

"Well!" Miranda exclaimed. "I've seen some impressive gardens but these are beautiful!"

"They're Storm's pride and joy." John glanced at her. "But you don't want to talk gardens."

"No, I don't." Miranda agreed. She took a deep breath and stopped walking turning to face him. "I can tell you're a good man and it's obvious you adore my daughter, but …"

"She's a princess." John finished quietly. "Right?"

Miranda smiled sadly at him. "Right. If it was up to us, we would be quite happy to let it go; all Eduardo and I have ever wanted is for Amara to be happy and loved. But there is a law on Nova Roma that states that the heir to the throne has to marry a member of nobility."

John closed his eyes, the words – though spoken gently – hitting him with the force of a sledgehammer. "I thought it'd be something like that." He opened his eyes again, ignoring the tears filling in them. "I guessed ages ago. If I hadn't, I'd have proposed already. Is there anything I can do?"

"Not exactly." Miranda smiled at him, and he was struck by the resemblance between Amara and her mother.

"You know," John commented, "when Amara gives me that look, it means she's got some kind of plan that's going to make Iceman very proud and Wolverine very mad."

"I'm expecting a baby in a few weeks." Miranda told him happily.

"Congratulations." John tilted his head. "Erm … what does that …?"

"The law states," Miranda repeated, "that the heir of the throne has to marry a member of nobility."

"I know …" John trailed off. "If you have a boy, Amara won't be the heir to the throne any more, will she?"

"Exactly." Miranda looked a little startled. "Not many Americans realise that."

"I grew up in Australia, ma'am." John told her. "We're part of the Commonwealth, under Queen Elizabeth of England. Wait, did you say you're due in a few weeks?"

"I did." Miranda nodded, rubbing her stomach, which – he only now noticed – was swollen beneath her dress.

"Is it …" John hesitated. "Is it safe to fly in your third trimester?" He saw her curious expression and shrugged. "Anna's got a daughter, Jean has twins and Jubilee's expecting; you pick things up."

"I see." Miranda flinched suddenly. "Ow."

"What's wrong?" John asked, stiffening.

"I think the baby's coming." Miranda whispered.

"What?" John blinked; surely he hadn't heard right.

"I know the baby's coming." Miranda corrected, staggering slightly.

John quickly looped an arm around her waist to support her. "Okay, the hospitals around here are awful when it comes to VIPs, so it's probably best if we just get you into our infirmary." He helped Miranda into the house and called the nearest elevator, praying it would hurry.

Thankfully, the doors opened almost immediately and the elevator took them down to the lower level. John helped her into the infirmary and sat her down, before hammering on the other door.

Since Professor Xavier had offered Belladonna a place to stay indefinitely, Remy, Bobby and a couple of the other boys had transformed the rooms behind the infirmary into an apartment for her.

"Bella!" John called. "We need a midwife!"

"What?" Belladonna hurried out. "There's no way Jubilee's having the baby yet!"

"No, she's not." John agreed. "This is Amara's mother, Miranda."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." Belladonna greeted, dipping a quick curtsey that looked bizarre in jeans. "Go and get Amara, Pyro."

Paying no attention to Miranda gently chiding Bella for calling her that, John hurried out the door and down the corridor. As he passed the control room, he stopped as something inside caught his eye. He backed up a few steps and peered in to see Kitty staring at the computer screen. "Kitty?"

Kitty didn't respond and he walked inside, joining her at the desk.

"Kitty, what's happened?" John repeated. "What is it?"

"Cerebro's been picking up disturbances around the sphinx." Kitty answered in a whisper. She swivelled in her chair to face him, and he saw tears sparkling in her eyes. "I think Apocalypse might be coming back."

**

* * *

AN: This is what happens when you get hit with a sudden Snow Day. Review please!**


	44. Don't Get Mad, Get Even

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I got some inspiration and dialogue from this chapter from a Boy Meets World episode, **_**Angela's Men**_**.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Four – Don't Get Mad; Get Even

**February 1999**

John's mind went blank, even as he grasped his team-mate's hand in a weak form of comfort. "It'll be okay." He heard himself whisper, trying desperately to make himself believe his words.

"Not again." Kitty whispered shakily. "This can't be happening again." Her voice broke on the last word and John wrapped a brotherly arm around her shoulders.

"We'll be okay." John insisted weakly.

A cry from down the hall startled him from his daze and he tightened his hold, shaking her lightly. "Snap out of it, Shadowcat!"

"Right." Kitty turned from the screen to face him, shaking off his arm as she did. "First things first, what was that?"

John quickly explained about Amara's powers, the law they'd come to explain and the loophole they'd found.

"Right." Kitty stood up and strode towards the elevator. "Pyro, find Magma and tell her what's going on. Then I want you to tell Iceman that I'm running a training session; I want all the New Mutants there, including his girlfriend. Only excuse I'm accepting is labour or death."

"Why can't you tell him that?" John asked, slipping into the elevator beside her. "You're telepathic. Unless you've lost it."

"No, I haven't." Kitty rolled her eyes. "He's with Jubes and I don't need the mental images. Besides, I'm going to go and tell the Brotherhood about this little development; I'll meet you in the DR in …" she checked her watch as they emerged into the hallway "… two hours. If the baby hasn't been born yet, Magma's excused."

"Excused from what?" Amara asked, catching the last sentence as they reached the living room. "And what baby? Wait, is Mother …?"

"Yeah, Belladonna's with her." John jerked his head back towards the elevator. "And we've got a training session in two hours."

Amara pulled up short, putting a hand out to stop the doors closing having dragged her father into the small room. "Bobby didn't mention that this morning."

"That's because I'm running it." Kitty told her with a smirk, and John got the impression she was looking forward to taking Bobby down a peg or two.

"But if the baby's not born yet, I'm excused?" Amara checked.

"Of course." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Get going." As the doors closed, she turned to John. "I don't come off as _that_ heartless, do I?"

"Of course not." John assured her. "You can just be a little … intense sometimes."

Kitty sighed. "Iceman, Pyro; go. Two hours."

* * *

Kitty stood for ten minutes outside the Boarding House, trying to work up the nerve to walk in and give them this awful news.

Finally, she let herself in, finding everyone in the living room, watching TV.

"Guys," she said quietly, "we have a problem."

"That sentence never bodes well." Pietro frowned, tilting his head back so he could see her.

"Kitten?" Lance asked, standing. "What is it?"

Kitty walked into his offered embrace and buried her face in his chest, taking a deep breath. She couldn't see it, but she knew that Lance had given his team-mates a silent, worried look that spoke more than any words could, because she then felt a soft hand on her back that didn't belong to her boyfriend.

"Kitty?" Wanda prompted.

"There's something funny going on and Apocalypse might be coming back." Kitty told them, getting it out as quickly as possible.

Of course, since she still had Pietro's powers, 'as quickly as possible' was actually 'incoherently fast', which wasn't helped by the fact that her words were absorbed into Lance's shirt.

Only Pietro seemed to have any inkling of what she'd said and he grasped her shoulders, pulling her out of Lance's arms and turning her to face him.

"Hey!" Lance protested.

"Stay out of it, Avalanche." Pietro warned. "Kitty, did you just say what I think you said?"

Kitty nodded, feeling tears sting her eyes. "Uh huh."

"Oh God." Seeing her struggle to keep her composure, Pietro pulled her into a hug. "It'll be okay."

"Pietro …" Lance began.

"Apocalypse might be coming back." Pietro told him darkly.

"Oh God …" Wanda whispered, grasping Lance's hand tightly. "This can't be happening."

The two men exchanged a glance and Pietro wordlessly coaxed his sister into his arms and gently transferred Kitty back into Lance's.

Lance kissed her forehead, stroking her hair tenderly. "Alright, Kitten; how exactly do we know this?"

"We don't." Kitty admitted, shifting so the others could hear her. "But there's been really weird energy spikes at the Sphinx and the signature's similar."

"Who are you talking about?" Lucie asked, confused.

Lance took the opportunity to get Kitty out of the room into the relative privacy of the hallway. "You okay?"

"No, I'm not okay, Lance; how can I be okay?" Kitty released her grip on his shirt to slide her hands down to her abdomen. "I don't know how Jean and Anna handled it; I don't even know if he's coming back and I'm freakin' terrified."

"Kitten, honey, everything's gonna be fine." Lance soothed, rubbing her back. "We'll be fine."

Kitty sighed. "I hope you're right."

* * *

That lunch-time, the X-Men had four extra mouths to feed. To everyone's surprise, including Miranda, Edmund Aquilla had arrived just a few minutes before his twin sister, Susan.

The mood, despite this happy event, was dark and slightly depressed. Belladonna sat in one of the armchairs, mending a hole in one of Jamie's socks, the student himself sitting at her feet, playing his Gameboy with the sound muted; like Lexa, she had a habit of observing every little detail of her surrounds while looking like she wasn't paying a single bit of attention.

Kitty had told them all over lunch about the strange disturbances in Egypt and everyone was clearly shaken. Even the babies had been noticeably disquieted by the tension, though none were crying.

Scott had argued with Kitty about the necessity of involving the Brotherhood, but her response had been to drag him down to the Danger Room and play a simulation of the battle in Mexico the previous October, altering it to assume the Brotherhood hadn't shown up. It was clear the results had shaken him and he had fallen silent, holding his fiancée and children close as though they might disappear.

Amara's parents, in Belladonna's opinion, were taking the whole thing very well. They were sat with their eldest daughter and – if her instincts were any indication – soon-to-be future son-in-law – Bella gave it a month or two before he proposed – cradling their new children. John himself was holding Amara close, his chin resting on her head.

In fact, all the men were holding their girlfriends close to them. Even Kurt – in Amanda's absence – had an arm around Kitty's shoulder, comforting her as best he could.

However …

Belladonna frowned, no longer bothering to hide her observations. On the other side of the room, Bobby was sitting with Jubilee in his lap, but his attention – and glare – was focused on Kitty.

Jubilee lifted her head from his chest. "Bobby?"

"She beat me up, Jubes." Bobby stated, gaze not shifting.

Jubilee sighed. "Bobby, would you just let it go?"

Bobby finally looked down at her. "How can I let it go when it haunts my every thought? Do you realise how humiliating that was?"

Kitty had pushed the team much harder than he usually did and she had, well, beaten him up.

"You know, if you weren't so damn chivalrous all the time, it wouldn't have happened." Jubilee pointed out. "Not all the bad guys are going to be men, you know."

Bobby ignored her. "She'll pay for it when I have my revenge and I will have my revenge."

Jubilee groaned. "Oh, this isn't going to end well."

* * *

About an hour later, Kitty had decided to distract herself from her worry by doing something constructive, so she was jotting down ideas on how to nip this newest threat in the bud.

A shiver ran down her spine and she glanced over her shoulder. Seeing that no one behind her was paying any attention to her, she turned back to her work.

Nearby, Jubilee broke her conversation with Sam and Rahne, and stared as Bobby popped up behind Kitty once again, glaring at her.

Sam shook his head. "They should lock him up."

The three New Mutants watched in a state of disbelief as Kitty got up and jogged over to the desk against the wall to get a new sheet of paper. Bobby ran after her and seated himself at one of the small tables, glancing at a report Scott showed him. As soon as Kitty's back was turned, he looked up and grinned psychotically.

When she turned round again, Bobby quickly looked down again, nodding in agreement as Scott pointed something out to him.

Kitty narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, but said nothing, heading back to the couch. Bobby looked up again and smirked viciously.

"I'm tellin' you," Sam put a supportive hand on Jubilee's shoulder, "padded walls so he can't hurt himself."

Eduardo and Miranda were sitting with Belladonna by the fireplace, enjoying a cup of tea, but, as they chatted, Belladonna couldn't help noticing Eduardo's gaze kept drifting to Amara and John.

"You're worried." She stated after a while.

"I can't help it." Eduardo admitted. "She's my little girl."

Belladonna sighed and put her cup down. "Look, I know John Allerdyce. And he is many things. He's annoying, reckless, often unkempt, destructive …" she wrinkled her nose "… a trifle gassy …"

"Is there a 'but' coming any time soon?" John asked loudly, looking over.

"And a pain in the butt." Belladonna finished.

John rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

Belladonna smiled. "But he is a good man. And he loves your daughter so much."

"I do." John confirmed, kissing Amara's forehead.

As Kitty passed them, the five noticed Bobby outside, his face pressed up against the window mouthing 'I'm going to get you' at her back.

Belladonna sighed again. "Under no circumstances, however, let your daughter go anywhere _near_ him."

* * *

That evening, Sam and Jubilee walked into a loud, talk-filled rec room, engaged in a spirited discussion about the pros and cons of reading her unborn child the latest football scores.

"I just think that …" Sam stopped mid-stride and mid-conversation. "Jubes? Do you find something weird about that painting?"

Jubilee turned and observed it. It was a painting of an Amish farmer and his wife outside their house, except … it seemed to be 3D. Closing her eyes, she prayed that she was seeing things, before peering at it again. "I beg you. I beg you to seek help."

The 'farmer' chuckled. "Oh, this is gonna be so sweet. Bye-bye, Shadowcat."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You know what, Iceman? Kitty is to smart for you! Anyone is!"

"Stay out of this, Sam." Bobby told him. "This is a one-man mission. Will you help me?"

"No!" Sam bent down to address Jubilee's stomach. "Sorry, Lump. Just pray you get your mother's brains."

"Honey?" Bobby asked sweetly.

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "I'm not even going to credit that with a response."

Bobby sighed. "Fine. I'll do this myself." He glanced at the painted woman standing next to him as Sam and Jubilee joined Rahne and Roberto. "You have a very large head."

As the noise level rose, Belladonna put her book down and whistled sharply. "Alright, that's enough! I know it's been a trying day, but it's also been a very long day, and I know I'm not the only person with a headache."

"Thank you." Ororo seconded from beside her. "I want forty minutes of peace and tranquillity starting now!"

At that moment, Kitty walked in and Bobby leapt from his frame with a war-cry, missing Kitty by inches and landing heavily on the floor. "Oww …"

"God help me …" Belladonna groaned, trying not to laugh.

**

* * *

A week later …**

No one paid that much attention when John and Amara arrived back; they had accompanied Eduardo, Miranda and the twins back to Nova Roma and had stayed for a while so Amara could show John where she grew up.

However, it wasn't long before Kitty noticed that both were grinning madly.

"Uh oh." She commented, gaining everyone's attention. "What did you do?"

"Well …" Amara gave Jean an almost guilty look and the redhead gestured for her to continue.

"We got married!" John finished.

There was a second of shocked silence then …

"I thought so." Jean got up, passing Monica to Kurt as she did. "Congratulations." She hugged both of them, and that seemed to open a floodgate for everyone else to follow suit.

"When did he propose?" Kitty asked when she reached them.

"The night Edmund and Susan were born." Amara answered with a smile. "He told me he'd spoken to Mother and Father, and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with me. Sorry, Jean," she added, "I know you're in the middle of planning and we didn't want to steal your thunder but …"

"Hey!" Jean gave her another hug. "Don't worry about it; I couldn't be happier. You deserve each other."

"Yeah, Jean would have to be a complete Bridezilla to get upset over this." Kitty agreed. "And she's not _that_ bad yet."

"Thanks, Kitty." Jean said dryly.

"I am _so_ glad I didn't make that bet." Belladonna commented. "I was sure it would take another month."

"If it's any consolation, I think that's the first time you've been wrong in all the time I've known you." Remy told her.

Belladonna rolled her eyes. "I wasn't upset. Just making an observation." She stood up and beckoned to Kitty. "_Chaton_, I need some advice."

"Okay." Kitty got up and followed her out of the rec room. "What's up?"

"I just wanted a chance to talk to you without the others overhearing." Belladonna admitted, leading her down towards the infirmary. "You're going to have to make a choice at some point, Kitty. Either you tell Scott about the baby or you find some other way of getting out of these training sessions. You're alright for the moment, but as you progress, it's going to get risky."

Kitty frowned, her hands drifting down to her stomach. "I know. I'm trying, Bella; I am. He's not listening to me. And I thought you said there was no threat."

"For the moment." Belladonna repeated gently. "I know you keep a shield around your stomach and that's enough, but when the baby gets bigger, strenuous exercise is not a good idea."

"What do I do?" Kitty asked quietly.

"Let's give it to your second trimester." Belladonna suggested. "Then I'll tell him that the repeated training is potentially detrimental to your health. If he doesn't listen, either tell him or go and stay with your boyfriend."

Her wording made Kitty smile resignedly. "Go ahead." She sighed. "Ask."

Belladonna flushed slightly, caught off-guard. "Has Lance asked you?"

"To marry him?" Kitty checked, just to make sure they were both on the same page; her companion nodded. "No."

"And that doesn't …" Belladonna hesitated "… bother you at all?"

Kitty chuckled. "No. I know Lance well enough to trust that he would never leave me and he knows me well enough to know that, if he proposed now, I'd forever wonder if it was because of the baby."

"Wow." Belladonna murmured. "You know, I don't think I've ever met a couple as in tune as you two. Not even Scott and Jean, and God only knows what goes on in their heads."

"We shouldn't be." Kitty conceded quietly. "The odds have been against us from the start. But we're both stubborn, so every time someone told us we wouldn't work, we became more intent on proving them wrong. I love him dearly, but it hasn't been easy to fight against the current."

"I bet." Belladonna agreed sympathetically. "You're a good fit though. And he adores you. I don't know why Scott can't see that."

Kitty smiled wryly. "Because he's stubborn too."

**

* * *

AN: By the next chapter, Jean and Scott will be married. If you want to read about their disastrous attempts to plan a wedding, check out my oneshot 'They're Killing Us'! Review please!**


	45. Parental Ignorance

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I do own Lorelai LeBeau, Monica and Joey Summers, Lucie Cartwright and her parents, and Sara and Judy Grey.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Five – Parental Ignorance

**April 1999**

The Brotherhood Boarding House was never in a state of normality. At least, it was never what most people would consider normal. For the seven mutants that lived there, it suited them just fine.

On this particular morning, Lucie had a headache rivalled only by Lance's and that was only because recently his powers had been causing them anyway.

In the space of only a few hours, Pietro had nearly killed Todd three times because of slime everywhere, Tabby and Wanda had had several loud debates about whether to help or stop him, and Fred had slowly eaten his way though the contents of the kitchen.

The doorbell rang and Lucie groaned, letting her head fall back against the couch. "I'll get it."

"Here." Lance tossed a tub of aspirin to her as she stood up.

"Thanks." Lucie popped the lid off, tossed a couple into her mouth and summoned a stream of water from the faucet in the kitchen, catching it and swallowing on her way to the front door.

Pasting a bright smile on her face, she opened it. "Good morning …"

Her voice trailed away and the smile faded, seeing her parents standing on the doorstep. For a second, time seemed to freeze.

Then she caught sight of Sara and Judy behind them and stifled a sigh of relief, deciding to focus on them first. "Aunt Sara, Aunt Judy, how are you?"

"Wonderful." Judy slipped between her parents and gave her a hug. "Do you know these people?"

"I did once." Lucie scowled.

"Darling, don't be silly." Maggie Cartwright laughed. "We're your parents."

"And don't worry." David Cartwright added in a whisper. "We've found a solution to your little problem."

"You mean my mutation?" Lucie asked in a normal tone; her parents both hushed her, glancing worriedly at the two women with them. "What? Don't you want people to know I'm mutant? I'm sure they won't mind. Especially since everyone else who lives here is as well. Why don't you come in?"

"Good idea." Sara shot a disgusted look at her parents, having heard the story over Christmas and embraced Lucie as she passed, ushering her sister in ahead of her. "Lance!"

Lance hurried out of the living room, rubbing his head. "Hi Mom, Aunt Judy. Hang on." He hugged them and stuck his head back into the living room. "Pie … Quicksilver, put Toad down! Toad, go and clean the slime up!"

Lucie smiled sweetly at her parents, who looked slightly shell-shocked. "Coffee?"

* * *

For the first time in about two years, when Kitty reached the Boarding House, she rang the bell instead of simply phasing through the door.

The reasons for this were sleeping soundly in their pram, looking like complete angels, rather than the terror-twins already nick-named 'Search' and 'Destroy' by the inhabitants of the Institute.

With Scott and Jean on their honeymoon – having brought their wedding forward due to stress of planning – the rest of the X-Men had been left taking care of Monica and Joey. Today, Kitty had decided to take the little darlings for a walk, before they found themselves inducted into the Danger Room sessions early.

True to Kitty's guesses at Christmas, Joey had inherited his mother's telepathy and telekinesis, and nothing was more fun to him than watching someone trying to rescue his teddy bear from the ceiling. It seemed to be the telekinetic equivalent of throwing a toy from his pram and watching an adult pick it up over and over again.

Monica, on the other hand, took after her father and, every now and then, when she was crying, her eyes would glow ominously red, causing everyone to duck, just in case. This usually caused the crying to stop, and some of the more paranoid X-Men (mostly Bobby) were convinced that Monica knew what she was doing and did it on purpose.

Of course, it was unlikely that a four-month-old child was cognitively advanced enough to be doing that, but no one had any doubts that once she _was_, she _would_.

Despite all this, and Lorelai definitely having inherited her father's powers, it had been agreed that Kurt and Kitty wouldn't use their powers when holding the children until they were at least a year old, unless it was an emergency, just in case.

Strangely enough, the door was opened almost immediately. Kitty hushed Tabitha before she could say anything, gesturing to the babies.

"Hey." Tabby whispered. "If you want them to stay asleep, bringing them here might not be the best idea. Lucie's parents are visiting."

"Ouch." Kitty winced. "Well, that's alright. Maybe they'll be incentive for everyone to keep quiet." She levitated the pram over the step and pushed it into the living room.

Greetings were exchanged, introductions were made and Monica woke with a soft cry.

Sara scooped her granddaughter up and she settled down. "There we go, sweetie."

"Unbelievable." Kitty muttered, sinking into the chair next to Lance. "It took us three hours to get them to sleep."

"They know their grandma." Sara smiled. "How are you, dear?"

"Exhausted." Kitty admitted. "Why did we end up looking after them again?"

"Luck of the draw." Lance told her, kissing her forehead. "I offered to have them here, but Scott wouldn't hear of it."

"It's still weird hearing you call him by his first name." Kitty commented. "So what's going on?"

"We're trying to figure out why Lucinda won't come home with us." Mrs. Cartwright answered tearfully.

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't have anything to do with the fact that you threw her off a ship when you found that she was mutant, could it?"

Lance nudged her lightly. "Kitten …"

"What?" Kitty asked. "Everyone's thinking it; I'm just saying it."

"We did not throw her off the ship!" Lt. Cartwright protested. "She fell."

"Right." Kitty rolled her eyes. "She wrapped herself in a blanket, fell overboard and, despite the fact that she could breathe underwater and swim, you couldn't pull her back up."

"She's got a point, you know." Lucie commented, quietly observing her parents. "Let's face it. You'll never be able to accept the fact that I'm mutant."

"We can fix that!" Mrs. Cartwright pleaded.

"That you can't face it or that she's mutant?" Sara asked sharply, moving to wrap an arm around Lucie's shoulders, adjusting Monica as she did.

"Uh oh." Lance murmured. "Mom's got her 'Mama Bear' face on."

"This should be interesting." Kitty agreed just as quietly; they both knew how protective Sara could be of her 'children'.

"She's not mutant!" Lt. Cartwright protested, causing his daughter to flinch. "She's just going through a … a phase!"

Lance groaned. "Oh, God, now you've done it!"

Kitty smirked and stood up. "No, _this_ is going through a phase." To the Cartwrights' obvious disgust, she disappeared through the wall to the kitchen, returning with a cookie. "Anyone else want one?"

"We're good, thanks." Wanda told her with a sigh. "I swear, you're worse than Lance with the rock puns."

"I'm not that bad." Lance grumbled, pulling her back down onto his lap and sliding a protective arm around her waist.

"My point is," Kitty continued, looking at the Cartwrights, not intimidated by their expressions in the slightest, "this isn't something that will go away. There's nothing you can do to get rid of Lucie's powers, short of killing her. It's in her DNA. It's the equivalent of telling someone to stop having blue eyes."

"Look, we know a doctor …" Lt. Cartwright began, sending spasms of horror through everyone in the room.

Lucie let out a little gasp and Todd reached across to take her hand, almost automatically, beating Wanda to it, who settled for patting her shoulder.

Her father seemed not to notice the effect his words had caused. "He assures me that …"

"Bullshit!" Sara interrupted, her eyes blazing.

"Go Mom!" Lance exclaimed, sounding stunned.

"Either this person is lying or you are volunteering your daughter for experimentation." Sara stood up. "Well, I won't have it! If you can't accept your daughter for who she is, you clearly are not fit to be parents!"

Lucie stood up as well as Monica jolted awake with a wail, and took the baby from her grandmother, cooing softly to her.

"Madam!" Lt. Cartwright barked. "I am a commissioned member of the US Navy and I will _not_ be intimidated! I …" But then he trailed off, staring in horror over Sara's shoulder.

Kitty followed his gaze and saw that Lucie had set Monica down in the pram beside her brother, who had also woken up, and was levitating droplets of water above their heads, shaping them into pictures, to their obvious amusement.

"Oh, God, they're here …" Lexa's voice groaned.

Lucie glanced up with a grin. "Now, now, Lex; _that_'s not a very nice thing to say about my parents."

"You know as well as I do that I was talking about the twins." Lexa growled.

"Hey!" Pietro protested with a frown.

Wanda rolled her eyes. "The _other_ twins, idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot!" Pietro insisted.

"Yeah, you are!" Lexa slipped into his arms and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. "But you're my idiot."

Only Pietro and Kitty heard the last part, but the latter ignored it, while the former smiled happily and sat down, pulling his girlfriend into his lap.

Lucie went back to entertaining the twins, but her demeanour had changed slightly; Kitty had a feeling she'd seen the expression on her parents' faces when she looked up. She reached over and tapped the other girl on the shoulder. "How about we take the twins to the park?"

"Sure." Lucie stood up and stretched, sending the water back to the kitchen with a wave of her hand. "Which one?"

"The _actual_ park." Kitty elaborated. "We can take them to the duck pond."

"You can't do that in public!" Mrs. Cartwright hissed in a scandalised whisper.

"And why not?" Lucie demanded, crossing her arms. "I live with this lot. Everyone knows _they're_ mutant; therefore everyone knows _I'm_ mutant. _You_ are the only people who seem to have a problem with it. I'll pick up groceries while I'm out, guys."

"Well, if you insist." Wanda shrugged. "Means I don't have to do it."

"I'll come with you." Tabby decided, jumping to her feet. "You could cut the tension in here with a knife."

* * *

"She's really good with kids, isn't she?" Tabby asked quietly.

Kitty glanced up from mopping Joey's chin and shielded her eyes to see what her companion was talking about. Lucie was sitting by the lake surrounded by children and several parents and seemed to be telling them a story.

There was nothing unusual about that, but droplets of water were acting it out in front of her and the children were captivated.

"Yeah, she is." Kitty agreed, grabbing another tissue. "God, you are so _cute_ when you're behaving, you know that?"

Joey just gurgled happily in response and Kitty instinctively reached out and grabbed his teddy bear as it floated out of the pram. "Why did I say anything?"

Tabby sniggered. "You have that problem a lot?"

Kitty nodded. "Him and Lorelai. If he's not floating them out the window, she's blowing them up."

Tabby tilted her head curiously. "You ever thought about having children?"

Kitty's hand moved automatically to her stomach and she smiled. "Sometimes."

"You'd be a good mother." Tabby told her.

"You think?" Kitty asked, trying not to sound anything more than quietly curious. Lance assured her of that fact on a regular basis, but it would be nice to hear it from someone else.

"Definitely." Tabby confirmed. "You'd be _that_ mom, you know. The one all your kids' friends meet and say, "I wish she was my mom"." She paused. "Maybe I was the only kid who did that, because my mom was really sick and couldn't do anything."

"No, I did it too." Kitty told her, squeezing her hand in silent comfort. "I used to wish Lance's Aunt Samantha was my mom."

"And now?" Tabby asked quietly.

Kitty shrugged. "Now I wish Sara was my mom."

Tabby laughed. "We all wish that."

"That's because you've all been very unlucky."

Kitty tilted her head back. "Hey, Sara. What happened to Mr. and Mrs. Crazy?"

"I convinced them that, if they really loved their daughter, they would give themselves time to come to terms with her mutation and that it would be best for everyone if they stayed away until they could." Sara answered evenly, with a cool note in her voice that Kitty knew wasn't directed at her.

"Good." Kitty murmured. Standing up, she deposited Joey into Tabby's outstretched arms and jogged down to the lakeside, immediately recognising the story as _Cinderella_.

"… and they all lived happily ever after." Lucie finished, and the water-based representations of Cinderella and her Prince Charming dissolved into a shower of hydro-fireworks.

The children, and the parents, applauded loudly and Lucie got to her feet, bowing to the crowd. "Thank you, thank you." As they dispersed, she turned to Kitty. "Pity life doesn't end like that, really."

"What, happily ever after?" Once again, Kitty's hand drifted down to the gentle swell of her stomach. "Maybe not. But I think we can get close enough."

**

* * *

AN: Sorry, ended on an incredibly cheesy note! Review please!**


	46. How Fragile Life Is

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution or the Marauders – any information about them I got from Wikipedia, so if it's wrong … eh, I'll use these anyway. I do own Lorelai LeBeau, Monica and Joseph Summers and Lucie Cartwright.**

**WARNING: This chapter includes discussion of miscarriages; it doesn't warrant a higher rating, but I feel I should leave a warning anyway, just in case.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Six – How Fragile Life Is

**July 27****th**** 1999**

Scott Summers was, quite possibly, the most irritating person on the planet.

Belladonna wasn't entirely sure how it had taken Kitty the better part of five years to come to that conclusion, but it was obvious she wasn't going to forgive him any time soon.

How had she realised this?

Well, it had started shortly after Lucie's parents' visit, when Scott and Jean had returned and Kitty had confronted Scott about the ever-increasing number of training sessions.

What had followed was an argument about her relationship with Lance that the whole mansion heard that had culminated in Kitty running to Belladonna in a rare bout of hysterical tears.

Even three months on, Belladonna had to suppress a shudder, remembering how Kitty had collapsed onto her couch, shaking and crying …

"_Kitty? Sugar, what's wrong?" Belladonna asked, hurrying over to her. She'd heard the argument, of course she had, but she couldn't see what …_

"_It really, really hurts." Kitty whispered, still crying, her eyes wide. "Belle, I think I'm losing the baby."  
_

_Belladonna cursed under her breath and hurried Kitty back through into the infirmary, getting her settled in a bed. She'd commented, months ago, on the stress of telling Scott in particular about her pregnancy and she'd heard of stress causing miscarriages, but she'd never even dreamed that it could cause one. "Are you bleeding?"_

"_I haven't checked." Kitty admitted shakily. "I'm too afraid to."_

_Belladonna glanced down at the sheets and the tan pants Kitty was wearing. "I don't think you're losing the baby, hun. But I want to keep you in here anyway."_

"_I'm not complaining." Kitty curled up under the covers, lacing her hands protectively over her unborn child. "I'm not telling him."_

"_I don't blame you." Belladonna agreed. "I'll tell him to ease off … you said your mom had loads of problems?"_

_Kitty nodded. "Why?"_

_Belladonna sighed. "I'm sorry, Kitty. I should have realised that would make emotionally stressful situations worse than physically challenging ones."_

_The doors opened and Professor Xavier wheeled in, thankfully, alone. Belladonna breathed a sigh of relief. "Professor, you've got to get Cyclops to stop. It's putting both of them in danger."_

"_I know he means well." Kitty spoke up. "But it's going to kill one of us."_

"_I will talk to him, Kitty." Professor Xavier assured her. "Just look after yourself."_

Fortunately, Scott had listened to the warnings and gotten rid of the individual training sessions, leaving them with the whole-team sessions, but they had been on the increase lately, due, once again, to his stubborn nature.

It had started about halfway through May, when Sabretooth – on a rare, but not unexpected, homicidal urge – attacked downtown Bayville with a gang of mutants called the Marauders:

Arclight – a super-strong mutant with the ability to produce shockwaves that maximised the impact of her blows;

Blockbuster – a super-humanly strong mutant;

Harpoon – a young man who could charge objects much like Gambit;

Prism – a cold-blooded mutant, whose body seemed to be permanently crystalline and could reflect most forms of energy attacks;

Riptide – a brutal man who could spin at top speed shooting out shards – after research, Beast had come to believe that they were made out of the man's own skin – as he did so;

Scalphunter – a ruthless ex-soldier who was capable of techno-morphing – altering technological devices – and used this to create an impressive weapons arsenal and;

Vertigo – a young woman who could psionically induce a sensation of vertigo in her opponents.

The fight between the X-Men and the Marauders was one of the worst and most difficult they had ever experienced, including the Apocalypse; at least then, each group was facing only one opponent, however powerful they may have been.

In this case, there were seven Marauders, plus Sabretooth, who was equal to them all.

Unfortunately, by the time X-Factor had been alerted and reached the scene, two people had been killed and seven injured. The New Mutants and X-Force were sat on tenterhooks back at the Institute, waiting for the call to arms. The Brotherhood, having heard about what was happening on the radio, had raced to meet them.

Despite Scott's protests, the rest of X-Factor agreed that they needed all the help they could get and Cyclops reluctantly changed his battle plan to include the Brotherhood. He ended up suggesting five possible strategies, but Lance pointed out possibly fatal flaws in each, before coming up with his own. Running out of time, and with no one arguing with the new plan, they leapt into action, beating the Marauders and preventing any further casualties.

Of course, admitting that Lance a) was right and b) had probably saved his team from whatever injuries his not-thought-through-properly plans would have caused was too much to ask of Scott.

The next day, Scott had run the scenario as a new simulation in the Danger Room. These simulations were unique, because they didn't test powers or abilities; they tested plans. So, when Spyke and Rogue were both 'killed', the session proved Lance right.

The next day, they ran Scott's second plan; the next, his third. Eventually, they had run all five plans and proved Avalanche right; if they had gone with any of Scott's plans, the day would have ended tragically.

Unfortunately, this wasn't enough for Scott.

Oh, no.

He had rerun each simulation over and over again, ignoring all requests from his team-mates to come up with a new plan that wasn't going to get them killed if they ran into the Marauders again.

"He's only doing this because Lance was the one to point out the flaws!" Kitty ranted. "If it was one of us, we wouldn't be having this problem!"

"Calm down, Kitty." Belladonna soothed.

"I am calm!" Kitty insisted. "I don't know how Jean puts up with him!" She paused. "I'm not boring you, am I?"

"No, you're not." Belladonna assured her as they hurried along the corridor. "However, if you lot got your heads out of the Danger Room for once, you'd know that I do have things to do _aside_ from listen to Scott's downfalls. Jubilee's gone into labour."

"Oh my God!" Kitty quickened her pace. "Is she okay? How long?"

"Couple of hours; she's fine. It's amazing timing; her parents were flying in this morning anyway." Belladonna hesitated outside the door to the infirmary. "You'll have to …"

"Wait, I know." Kitty jumped up and crossed her legs, sitting in thin air.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." Belladonna commented.

"Well, I've got to lose them eventually." Kitty shrugged with a grin. "I figure I'll take advantage of it while I can."

Belladonna shook her head with a fond smile and pushed the door open, letting it swing shut behind her. "Hey, sugar; how you doing?"

"Is it supposed to hurt this much?" Jubilee groaned, her head falling back against the pillow.

"Apparently, yes." Belladonna slipped some gloves on and took a look. "Okay, it's time to start pushing."

"I'm right here, sweetheart." Bobby kissed his fiancée's forehead and held her hand, wincing and she squeezed it hard.

Belladonna caught his eye and shook her head; it wouldn't do his health any good to mention any pain he might be feeling. "Alright, I see something …"

"Bobby …" Jubilee whispered, nodding towards the other woman.

Reluctantly, Bobby released her hand and joined Belladonna. "Oh my God!"

"Don't 'oh my God'!" Jubilee cried. "'Oh my God' what?"

"What is that?" Bobby asked, sounding concerned.

"That's the baby's buttocks." Belladonna answered with a small smile. "It's breached."

"Thank God." Bobby sighed, returning to Jubilee's side. "I thought it had two heads."

Belladonna rolled her eyes. "Jubes, this means you're gonna have to push even harder, okay?" She checked her watch. "The next contraction should be in about 30 seconds."

Bobby kissed her forehead. "Nearly there, honey. I love you so much."

"I love you too, but I'm going to kill you for doing this to me." Jubilee tensed up. "30 seconds, my ass!"

"It's okay." Belladonna soothed. "One last push." The baby's crying filled the room and she swiftly turned it over. "It's a girl."

"It's a girl?" Jubilee repeated, propping herself up on her elbows.

"A girl." Bobby confirmed in an awed whisper. "A beautiful baby girl … and some other stuff I'm gonna pretend I don't see …"

Belladonna cleaned the little girl up and placed her in her mother's arms. "Congratulations." She didn't get a response and, indeed, hadn't expected one, so she gave the new parents some room and retreated to her desk to start the paperwork, pulling out an empty birth certificate.

_Parents: Robert Drake and Jubilation Lee … God, Jubilee's parents must have hated her._

_Date of birth: July 27__th__ 1999_

_Name …_

"What are you going to call her?"

"Cynthia." Jubilee answered, not taking her eyes off her daughter. "Cynthia Drake."

"Cindy for short." Bobby added.

"Oh, that's a beautiful name." Belladonna commented. "Middle name?"

"Elizabeth." Bobby finally looked up. "After Jubilee's grandmother."

"Cynthia Elizabeth Drake." Belladonna filled in the rest of the information, finishing just as the intercom rang. "That'll be your parents, Jubes?"

"Probably." Jubilee agreed.

"Kitty's outside; can I let her in?" Belladonna asked, standing up.

"Go ahead." Jubilee told her with a smile.

As Kitty phased through the door and hurried to Jubilee's bedside, Belladonna headed upstairs with a smile. Living at the Institute had brought a fair amount of insanity with it, but she wouldn't change it for the world.

**

* * *

Two days later …**

It was still dark when Kitty became aware of someone shaking her and she awoke with a start. "Huh? Wasgoinon?"

"Well, you're eloquent this morning." Anna commented with a weak smile. "Training session. Happy birthday."

"Thanks. Happy birthday to you too." Kitty yawned widely and looked at the clock. "Anna, it's four in the freakin' morning!"

"Yeah, yeah; I know." Anna sighed. "Scott clearly has no life. You'd think, with the twins, he'd cherish every moment of sleep he gets; I know I do."

"Urgh, fine." Kitty got out of bed, shivering slightly; it might have been summer, but four in the morning was still four in the morning. "Do you know what …?"

"He wants us to run the Marauder simulation again." Anna told her.

Kitty groaned, pulling her uniform out of her closet. "Again? Tell me he's going to come up with a better plan this time."

"It's Scott, Kitty." Anna reminded her, leaning against the wall as she waited for Kitty to change. "Captain Pole-Up-The-Ass admit that he's wrong?"

"Hmm. Good point. But who in their right mind runs a training session at this time of the morning." Kitty slammed her closet door shut and paused. "Am I the only one getting a strange sense of déjà vu?"

"Well, I will be if you start muttering about ungodly hours and Lance shows up." Anna checked her watch. "Come on. He'll kill us himself if we're late."

"Hang on." Kitty paused in her doorway, trying to decide if she felt sick or not. Luckily, she hadn't experienced any morning sickness or cravings, although her appetite was bigger than it normally was. But for the last few days, she'd been feeling … something; a sort of soft fluttering in her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was nausea or if the baby had – finally – started moving.

Deciding it was probably the latter, she smiled. "Never mind."

* * *

"I knew I should've stayed in bed." Kitty muttered to herself, two and a half hours later.

True to her guesses, Cyclops had run the least successful of the battle plans and, somehow, despite remembering Anna's, had managed to forget her birthday. After two hours, X-Factor had crawled back to their rooms, changed and dropped back into bed.

After tossing and turning for half an hour, Kitty had given up and gone down to the kitchen.

And that was where she was sat now, sipping a mug of decaf coffee and examining the new bruises on her arms, cursing Logan for making the simulations so realistic.

A shiver ran up her spine. Though even her telepathy didn't make her psychic, Kitty was famed for her instincts and her instincts told her that something awful was either about to happen or had happened already.

Standing up to put her mug in the sink, Kitty spun around as a gust of wind blew through the kitchen, fighting to keep her nightdress down. Too tired and irritated to feel embarrassed, she glared at the intruder. "I didn't get up early just to give you a cheap thrill! What the hell are you doing here?"

Pietro didn't even smirk. "Happy Birthday, Kitty."

"Thank you. At least someone remembered." Kitty commented, but it seemed like the least important thing in the world all of a sudden. On closer examination, she realised he was nowhere near as well-groomed as he normally was. "What happened?"

"I need you to come with me." Pietro told her, his voice cracking slightly. "We need your help."

Kitty knew how much it would have cost his pride to ask any of the X-Men for help, even if it was her, and knew it was worse than she'd originally thought. "Right."

They took off, her only a micro-second behind him, and came to a stop about five miles away. On one side, the trees lined the road like silent soldiers, the darkness within lightened by the morning sun. On the other lay a barren wasteland, covered in bits of debris and loose brick. The rest of the Brotherhood was standing in the road, like Pietro, still in their night-clothes.

For once, they were silent, though Wanda managed to muster up a weak smile and birthday greetings.

Acknowledging her with a wave, Kitty looked around. "Where are we?"

"Home." Pietro answered quietly.

The word seemed to echo in the air between them and Kitty looked again, recognising, with a sharp gasp, her surroundings and realising that the debris littering the ground was actually what remained of the boarding house.

"Oh my God … What happened?" Kitty whispered, though she had a pretty good idea.

"Lance … he had a power surge." Pietro answered, proving her right, shivering despite the warmth of the summer morning. "We've woken up to tremors before, but this was different, so we got out and then …"

"Was anyone hurt?" Kitty asked, painfully aware that something wasn't right. No one answered her and she turned to face them fully, running an eye over them.

Pietro stood closest to her, a strange expression she was afraid to identify in his eyes. Lucie was crying softly, clearly in shock, and Wanda and Todd were comforting her. Tabby and Fred stood beside them, apparently beyond words.

One … two … three … four … five … six …

No matter how many times she counted, she returned to the same conclusion and she closed her eyes, silently praying, forcing herself not to panic.

When she spoke, her voice was strangely calm and didn't sound a bit like her own. "I have a feeling that there will be many times in the coming years when I will regret asking this question but … where's Lance?"

"Kitty …" Pietro began, stepping forward, the same expression she didn't want to know in his voice, and she turned away from him, back to where the remains of the boarding house had been swallowed by a crater that could have served as a parking lot for a UFO.

Her heart seized up, dropping to her stomach, which fluttered all the more insistently. "No …"

**

* * *

AN: The amount of reviews I'm getting seems to be ever-decreasing! 71 people read the last chapter; 4 people reviewed. It only takes a few minutes to tell me whether you like it or not; you don't even have to log in, so please review! I really don't want to have to beg XD**


	47. Tunnel Vision

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution. I do own Lorelai LeBeau, Monica and Joseph Summers, Cindy Drake and Lucie Cartwright.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Seven – Tunnel Vision

**July 29****th**** 1999**

As her mind and body slowly became numb with shock and fear, Kitty slipped into auto-pilot, finding herself cast back to that horrible day in Northbrook as she stared at the remains of a building brought down by an earthquake. Only, this time, the stakes were higher and she could do something about it.

"Get Belladonna. We're going to need a medic." She told Pietro calmly. "You know where she is, right?"

"Er, I think so." Pietro answered, seemingly taken aback by reaction. "Next to your infirmary, right?"

"Right." Kitty turned back to her main problem, even as she felt, rather than heard, him depart. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Wish me luck."

Diving into the rubble, she swam through it as easily as if it were water. If anything good had come from her extended training sessions, it was that she could now stay intangible for almost as long as she desired, but, just as with normal swimming, oxygen was still an issue, so she was forced to return to the surface every so often to take a breath.

After what felt like hours, Kitty caught sight of Lance and took one more deep breath from the surface and 'swam' back down to pull him up with her, dragging him to the edge of the rubble-pit.

Tabby and Fred ran forwards and helped her get him up onto the road, just as Pietro returned with Belladonna.

Not bothering with greetings, Belladonna knelt beside him, immediately checking his vitals. "Breathing's stable; pulse is steady. No broken bones that I can see." She looked up at Kitty with a grim smile. "He's damn lucky. I'll know more when we get him back to the infirmary."

Kitty nodded, touching Lance's face tenderly, wanting nothing more than for him to open his eyes and look at her. When that didn't happen, she looked up at Pietro, who was standing nearby. "Don't even think it."

"Where are we gonna go now?" Pietro asked, ignoring her.

"You thought it." Kitty sighed, straightening up. "Why don't you just come and stay with us? We're all on the same side anyway."

"Come on, Kitty!" Tabby protested. "We're not X-Geeks!"

"Would you describe Lexa as an X-Geek?" Kitty asked.

"And choose your answer carefully." Pietro inserted dryly.

Tabby rolled her eyes. "No, but I wouldn't call _you_ an X-Geek either. But we're left with the problem of putting up with Scott …"

"Look, if I can do it, you can do it." Kitty told her. "I can't make you go anywhere; this is an offer, that's all. But we're taking Lance back with us; there's no hospital that can do anything. Ignore Scott; we've got plenty of room and he's the only one who's got a problem. Please."

Wanda put a calming hand on Tabby's arm and gave Pietro a significant look. The twins seemed to hold a silent conversation before he sighed and nodded.

"Alright. But only because you said please." Pietro insisted, with a hint of a smile.

"Kitty." Belladonna prompted.

"Right." Kitty lifted Lance telekinetically and put a hand on his arm. "Do you guys mind walking?"

"No, that's fine." Lucie assured her, wiping her eyes. "We'll meet you there."

"Okay." Kitty took Belladonna's arm and teleported to the infirmary, floating Lance to one of the cots.

For a second, she hesitated, but she felt helpless, unable to do anything but watch as the man she loved was hooked up to various machines, and she turned and fled from the infirmary, tears beginning to cloud her vision.

As she emerged into the main part of the mansion, she collided with a solid body, but didn't look up to see who it was, or even phase through them.

Her legs gave out and she broke down, finally conceding her battle with tears. Arms wrapped around her comfortingly, rubbing her back and stroking her hair, as she told them, through sobs, about the power surge, about the repeated training sessions, about how exhausted she was, about how worried Bella was getting, about how guilty she felt that she hadn't noticed anything strange about Lance's headaches.

It wasn't until much later that she realised she hadn't even mentioned the baby; she ran out words and motivation, and she lapsed back into silent sobs, feeling the person rock her gently.

Another hand pressed against her shoulder and she vaguely heard a female voice ask what had happened. A male responded in hushed tones, but Kitty couldn't summon up the presence of mind to realise who was holding her.

Her mind just went black.

* * *

When Jean walked downstairs, somehow juggling both of the twins, she was met with the sight of Scott standing in the Entrance Hall glaring at the Brotherhood. "Good morning."

"Morning." Lucie responded, looking slightly amused, but with red eyes that caught her attention. "Can we stay here?"

"No, you cannot!" Scott snapped.

"Kitty said it'd be alright." Pietro scowled, crossing his arms. "She also said to ignore you. Which, in case you were wondering, is what I plan on doing."

"Not that I've got any problem with this," Jean broke in, before her husband could respond, "but why are you here?"

"Kitty didn't tell you?" Wanda asked.

"I haven't seen her since the training session." Jean admitted, beginning to worry.

Todd sighed. "Can we stay here or not?"

"Yes." Jean answered.

"What?" Scott turned to look at her, disbelief etched into his face. "Are you freakin' kidding me?"

"Scott, it's been like three years since we had a proper fight with them." Jean pointed out with a shrug. "Get over it."

Scott threw his hands into the air. "Am I the only person who has a problem with this?"

"Yes." Alex and Bobby answered in tandem, one emerging from the hallway leading to the kitchen, one standing at the top of the staircase.

The latter – Bobby – was rubbing his eyes. "Scott, it's not even seven in the morning; I got a two-day-old daughter who won't sleep, so would you just shut up before Jubes kills me for not killing you."

Alex was focusing on something different. "Aren't you one short?"

Jean, about to berate her husband, froze, her attention snapping back to the Brotherhood immediately. "Oh God … where's Lance?"

"He's had a power surge." Taryn answered before the others could, flying down the staircase towards them. "Kitty just told us."

"I'd better talk to her." Jean murmured, dropping Joey into Pietro's arms and Monica into Taryn's.

"That'll be difficult." Taryn told her grimly, bouncing the child she'd been handed. "She just passed out."

"And I think you and I need to have a little chat, Cyclops." Warren added from the landing.

Jean breathed a sigh of relief. Warren was possibly the only person Scott would listen to as an equal and would do a far better job of scolding Scott than she would.

* * *

"What do we need to talk about?" Scott asked, jogging alongside him.

Warren stopped, turning to face him incredulously. "What do we … You know what? She can wait. In here." He seized Scott's arm, opened the nearest door and dragged him into a spare room. "You have got to stop."

"Stop what?" Scott asked blankly.

Warren waved an arm. "This. Kitty's worried about Lance, yes, but that's not enough on its own to make her as hysterical as she was earlier and it's definitely not enough to make her pass out."

"Then what did?" Scott sounded worried.

"Exhaustion." Warren told him bluntly. "You've stopped the extra training sessions, which is good, but she still can't handle the pressure you're putting on her. None of them can, but Kitty's not built for that much extensive physical training that fast; you have to build up to it and she didn't. She's still recovering from that, and you're running the team into the ground. And your only excuse for putting her through that was to keep her away from …"

"He's going to hurt her!" Scott interrupted, finally having something to focus.

Warren scoffed. "Oh, play a new record, Cyke; this one's broken! That's pretty much all I've heard since I moved here. Have you paid them even any attention at all? Because anyone with half a brain can see that he's utterly devoted to her. The only person doing her any arm, Scott, is you.

"And another thing," he added, holding up a hand to stop Scott from interrupting again, "Lance is Jean's _brother_. Ever heard of the phrase 'blood runs thicker than water'? You owe to your wife and yourself to get over whatever the hell it is you have against Lance, because I haven't seen him give you one reason to hate or mistrust him. You might be the leader of the X-Men, but you need to get off your pedestal and remove the pole you've got stuck up your ass, or you're going to lose the trust and respect of each and every one of them."

For a moment, there was silence, as Scott stared at him. For a moment, Warren thought he would dismiss his warning.

But then there was a quiet voice from the doorway.

"Thank you, Angel. You've just exactly what we've all been dying to say for months."

Both men looked up to see Anna standing there, one arm around Kitty's waist, her younger team-mate leaning heavily on her.

For the first time in several months, Scott looked at her.

Really looked at her.

Kitty hadn't lost weight, but her face was pale; she looked ill. Her hair lacked its usual shine and her eyes had ceased to sparkle.

"Kitty …" Scott began, not really sure what he was going to say.

"Don't." Kitty cut him off wearily. "I don't want to hear it."

"How's Lance?" Warren asked quietly.

"I don't know." Kitty admitted.

Anna caught Warren's eye and he nodded, lifting Kitty into his arms. "C'mon, Shadowcat. You need to sleep."

"What a day to turn eighteen." Anna commented, watching him carry her down the hall.

Scott frowned. "Anna, you're nineteen today."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Scott, Kitty and I share a birthday, remember?"

Scott closed his eyes and dropped onto the bed, his head in his hands. "I am a complete and utter git."

Anna's response was far too cheerful to sound insulting. "Just as long you realise that."

**

* * *

AN: I promise, I'm not going to kill Lance off; I don't really do angst and I definitely stick to happy endings. But I still want to hear what you think – I'm on 272 reviews; let's see if we can get it up to 300 before this one finishes XD**


	48. Teams

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I do own Lorelai LeBeau, Joey and Monica Summers, Cindy Drake and Lucie Cartwright.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Eight – Teams

**August 1999**

"Good job, teams; take five." Logan switched off the intercom and jotted down a few notes, before turning to the other spectator who had entered the room five minutes previously.

"Never thought I'd see that." Pietro commented, looking down to where his fellow team-mates – minus Lance, of course – were gathered with X-Force.

"Me neither." Logan agreed. "What's up, Speedy?"

"Bella's done with the tests." Pietro told him flatly. "Lance is in a 'psychological coma', whatever that is."

"Didn't you ask her?" Logan asked. "Or did she give you some long-winded scientific answer that you didn't understand but pretended to anyway?"

"Second one." Pietro scowled.

"Well, kid, a psychological coma is caused by something inside the head." Logan explained. "A physiological coma is caused by an external injury. See?"

"So he's in a coma because of the power surge, not because a house collapsed on his head." Pietro concluded, with a sigh of relief. "Wait, is that good or bad?"

"You can wake someone out of a physiological coma." Logan responded. "It's not so easy to fix things on the inside."

"But he will wake up, right?" Pietro asked anxiously, his gaze drifting to X-Factor, where Shadowcat – who had insisted on joining them – listened to Cyclops' debriefing, without even a hint of impatience.

"I don't know." Logan admitted. "It's up to Avalanche now." He pressed the intercom button again. "Okay, run it again; same teams." Restarting the simulation, he turned back to Pietro. "Aren't you supposed to be in there?"

Pietro shrugged. "Maybe. But someone needed to stay with Lance."

"We're leaving for Egypt in two days, kid." Logan reminded him.

"I know." Pietro replied simply. He fell silent, focusing on the training session below them.

More specifically, he focused on Lexa.

The last time he'd seen her in action, she had been wearing the generic black spandex that all the new recruits wore and that the New Mutants seemed to have adopted as their official uniform.

But X-Force had gained new uniforms since then, all made out of what looked like black leather. Havoc's resembled his brother's, but for the visor, and Angel's was almost exactly the same as his vigilante uniform, except the colour and the X's on his shoulder pads.

But the girls …

Pietro didn't know who had designed or made the uniforms, but he owed them big-time.

Everyone else in the Danger Room seemed to fade away as he gazed at her. The knee-high black boots had slight heels to them, making her slightly taller than usual; the rest of the uniform – if he could call it that – composed of skin-tight pants and tank-top that revealed more skin that was maybe appropriate for the situation. Her hair was tied back, but a few strands had come loose and trailed over her neck and shoulders seductively.

He found himself feeling grateful that they'd never had to meet in battle; if they had with her looking like that, their teams could've gone to hell for all he cared.

"What do you think of X-Force's new uniforms?" Logan asked suddenly.

The sudden question made Pietro jump, wondering when he'd gained the ability to read minds. "You never struck me as a fashion-follower."

Wolverine spared him a glare. "I'm not. I just don't think they're very appropriate."

"All of them?" Pietro asked knowingly. "Or just Lexa's?"

"Latter." Wolverine grunted. "But you can't tell me you're too happy with Lorna dressed like that."

Pietro's eyes slid reluctantly to his half-sister and he pulled a face, but Lexa recaptured his attention within seconds.

"What do you think?" Logan prompted.

Pietro hesitated, choosing his words carefully, knowing that his companion could literally smell a lie. "Well, it's definitely less conservative that the last time I saw it." He answered slowly. "But it could be worse. And, besides, Lexa would castrate any man who even looks at her wrong, you know that."

"Just so long as you do." Logan muttered, letting Pietro know that his earlier gaze hadn't been missed.

Thankfully, Logan's attention was diverted by a cry from X-Factor. He sighed and flicked a switch. "Shadowcat, keep your head in the game."

"She shouldn't be in there." Pietro frowned. "She's not up to it as it is; those extra training sessions …"

"She told you about them?" Logan interrupted.

"She didn't have to." Pietro snorted. "You know how many times she turned up in tears on our doorstep? Only reason she didn't stay was because she didn't want to cause trouble. Not that it would've been any trouble for us," he added, "because she's one of the family anyway, but I doubt Summers would've taken it well."

"No." Logan muttered. "I doubt he would've." He pressed another button and ended the simulation. "X-Men, stay where you are. You, come with me."

Pietro followed him out of the control room and down the corridor, his mind returning to his girlfriend.

"Snap out of it, babe."

_Speak of the devil._ Pietro shook himself out of his thoughts, realising that he had walked straight into the Danger Room and the object of his affections was standing beside him, a knowing smirk on her face. _God, she's got no idea how sexy she is._

Lexa stole a quick glance at Logan, who was talking to Cyclops. "Pietro," she whispered, "I don't know what train of thought you're on, and I don't want to … just yet … but if you don't pull away from this station, Wolverine's gonna realise something's up." Her smirk widened as his mouth dropped. "It's a rather distinctive scent."

As her gaze dropped from his face in a way that left him in no doubt as to what she meant, Pietro forced his mind onto less pleasant topics; imagining blowing Sabretooth's head off distracted him easily, just in time for Wolverine to take to the floor and address everyone.

"Okay, X-Men, listen up." Logan waited for them to fall silent, before nodding to Pietro, who cleared his throat.

"Bella's finished running all the tests and whatnot she had to and …"

"Whatnot?" Evan interrupted, sounding amused.

Pietro glared at him. "Yes, whatnot. You got a better word?"

Evan shrugged. "No. You just don't get a lot of whatnot these days."

Pietro rolled his eyes. "Anyway, she's found out that Lance is in a psychological coma, which means," he added, looking at Wanda, "even if we had managed to get him out of the house, it wouldn't have helped."

It was small comfort, but it helped in its own way.

"On that note," Logan said, "someone's gonna have to stay here. Shadowcat, I think that'd better be you."

Kitty nodded without protest, sending a ripple of concern around the room.

Logan must've picked up on it, because he added, "But I'm not happy with leaving you by yourself …"

"I'll stay." Pietro offered, earning several strange looks. "What? I owe Lance a favour."

"Alright." Logan conceded. "Now that means that X-Factor has an odd number, which messes up your plans, doesn't it, Cyclops?"

"We do have five-person plans." Scott pointed out. "We went without Spyke for a while."

"But they all relied on Shadowcat's powers." Jean reminded him quietly.

"Oh yeah." Scott pulled a face. "Yeah, it does."

"Iceman, move up." Logan ordered. "And name me a second-in-command. Someone who knows exactly what you'd do in any given scenario."

Bobby raised an eyebrow, joining X-Factor. "C'mon, Wolverine; you really need to ask?"

"Not really." Logan admitted. "Jubilee, you'll be leading the New Mutants for this mission and you'll need to think of a new second-in-command in case something happens to you."

Jubilee cast an eye over her team. "Same criteria?"

"Not this time." Logan shook his head. "Just someone who you can trust to hold the team together."

Jubilee bit her lip, thinking for a second. "Gambit." She stated finally. "But, Wolverine, that _still _leaves us with a problem. We rely on an even number – ten, to be exact – and there's now nine of us."

"Havoc." Logan prompted. "And name me …"

"Polaris." Alex cut him off. "Sorry, Lex."

"No problem." Lexa shrugged. "But …" She broke off, looking at Lorna. "Sorry; your floor."

"Thanks." Lorna smiled. "We've got the same problem, Wolverine. The plans we've been running for this scenario rely on an even number; with Havoc, Quicksilver and Avalanche out of the picture, we've got an odd number again."

She was right, Pietro realised. Even before Lance's power surge, X-Force had accepted that the Brotherhood were determined to see the Apocalypse threat through to the end, and Havoc had used the Danger Room simulations to factor them in.

"I'll stay."

As Pietro gaped at her in astonishment, Logan turned to face her. "Are you sure you wanna miss this?"

"Hey, someone's gotta keep an eye on these two." Lexa shrugged, a smirk gracing her face. "It'll be fun."

* * *

Later that day, while the X-Men and Brotherhood ran extra sessions with the new teams, Lexa was standing out by the lake, thinking about her decision to stay behind. She knew it had surprised a lot of people and she still couldn't quite justify it.

In the end, she supposed, she was worried about Kitty; the other woman had been looking increasingly pale and she was sure there was something else going on.

She was jogged out of her musings, when arms wrapped around her waist. "Hey."

"Hey beautiful." Pietro kissed her neck lightly. "What are you thinking?"

Lexa smirked. "I'm thinking if Wolverine had any idea about this, he would _not_ be agreeing to it."

Pietro chuckled lowly, the sound vibrating against her skin. "True. What are you really thinking?"

Lexa sighed, all traces of humour evaporating. "I'm worried about Kitty."

"Yeah, me too." Pietro agreed.

"Something's going on that she's not telling us." Lexa stated.

"She will." Pietro assured her. "In her own time. That the only reason you're staying?"

Lexa sniggered. "Well, the thought of spending extra time with you _is_ quite appealing." She twisted in his arms to face him. "So you wanna tell me why your mind was in the gutter earlier?"

Pietro rested his forehead against hers. "Your new uniform."

"My uniform?" Lexa repeated sceptically. "What about it?"

"It's a very sexy look on you." Pietro elaborated with a soft smirk. "That's what. You have no idea what you do to me." His last sentence was punctuated by soft kisses, the last of which she sank into willingly.

But something niggled in her mind and she broke away, avoiding his gaze. "Pietro, listen, just because we're both staying here … practically alone … doesn't mean I'm ready for …"

"I know." Pietro assured her when she trailed off. "I love you, Lexa; Lord knows I don't deserve you, but you mean the world to me. I'd never do anything to hurt you."

Lexa smiled, and kissed him softly. "I know, babe. I just want you to walk into this with your eyes open, that's all."

"I am." Pietro told her, running a hand through her hair. "I am."

At the same time, Kitty sat in the silent infirmary at Lance's side, holding his hand in hers.

"Belle says it's up to you now, sweetheart. You're the only one who can wake yourself up. It … It'd better be soon, Lance. I need you." She choked back a sob and buried her face in his chest. "We need you, Lance … please wake up …"

* * *

**AN: Have a happy new year everybody!**


	49. Support

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I do own Kevin Mitchell, Lorelai LeBeau, Monica and Joey Summers, and Cindy Drake.**

* * *

Chapter Forty Nine – Support

**August 1999**

Several days later, there were only five people left in the mansion and one of them was still in a coma.

It was late evening and the lights were down low; Kitty was curled up in an armchair, reading a book with Lorelai asleep in her arms, while Pietro and Lexa watched TV.

Well, actually, Lexa had long since drifted off to sleep, her head dropping to his lap, and Pietro was now watching her, something he'd always teased Lance for when Kitty had fallen asleep at the Boarding House.

"You're a hypocrite, you know that, Quicksilver?" Kitty commented casually, calling him on it.

Pietro looked up with a grin. "No, I _used _to be an idiot."

"You're still an idiot." Kitty countered with a smirk. She looked up at the clock and marked her page. "It's late. I should get Lorelai to bed."

Lorelai was the only one of the children to remain at the mansion while her parents were away; Monica and Joey were with Sara, taking her mind off her youngest son, and Cindy was with her maternal grandparents in California.

"Yeah, we should turn in as well." Pietro nudged his girlfriend. "Lex?"

"Don't bother." Kitty advised, picking Lorelai up. "She sleeps like the dead. You wanna hand?"

"No thanks; I'm fine." Pietro stood up carefully, making sure he didn't knock Lexa to the floor in the process. Then he slid one arm around her shoulder, the other under her knees and lifted her easily into his arms, smiling softly as she nestled into him.

Kitty shook her head with an affectionate grin. "Night, Pietro."

"Night Kit-Kat." Pietro ducked his head to kiss Lorelai's forehead as he passed and carried Lexa up to her room.

Somehow, he managed to get the door open without waking her and set her down gently on her bed, moving her under the covers and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

Thankfully, she'd changed into her night-clothes after dinner, because that would have been awkward, not to mention uncomfortable.

_Then again …_

Realising that he had spent more time than he'd meant to watching her sleep (again), Pietro moved to leave, but a soft pressure on his hand made him look down again to see that Lexa was gazing sleepily at him.

"Sorry." He whispered. "Did I wake you?"

"No." Lexa yawned. "How long have you been there?"

"I only just carried you up." Pietro lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I got a bit distracted."

Lexa smiled sleepily and shifted slightly. "Yeah? By what?"

"How beautiful you are." Pietro answered honestly, caressing her cheek. "I love you."

Lexa sat up, the blanket falling to her waist, revealing the tank top she slept in. "I love you too." As she met the kiss she knew had been coming, she weighed her options in her mind. Pulling away, she rested her forehead against his. "Stay with me."

Surprise crossed his face for a split-second, then Pietro pressed his lips to hers again. "You sure?"

Lexa smirked. "Don't get any ideas, Quicksilver. I just want you to hold me. Is that okay?"

Pietro disappeared for a second, before reappearing dressed for bed. "No problem, baby-girl."

"Don't call me that." Lexa chided, more out of habit than anything else, as he slipped in next to her.

His arms pulled her to him and held her, wrapped protectively around her waist. And, although she didn't need it, she felt security for the first time in her life.

* * *

Kitty, like Lexa, was a sound sleeper. In fact, only routine allowed her to wake up as early as she did, although the blaring alarm that went off at six on training mornings certainly helped.

So when she woke up and realised that it was only just past midnight, she knew something had happened.

The alarms hadn't gone off … her room was empty … the house was quiet … So why had she woken up?

A gasp escaped her mouth and her hand flew to her stomach as a solid thud answered her question.

For a few minutes, she lay there silently, rubbing her stomach rhythmically, trying to soothe her child, humming quietly. With her spare hand, she grabbed her phone and ran down speed-dial until …

Kitty froze, her phone dropping from her hand.

Her movements had been automatic, but the realisation hit her like a freight train; Lance wasn't going to answer.

For the first time, fear gripped her and she desperately tried to hang on to some semblance of calm.

_He's alive. He's going to be fine._

She forced the mantra to repeat itself in her head, but it didn't drive the fear away. How was she going to do this alone?

_You're not alone._

Sure that Lexa must have guessed by now, Kitty got out of bed and slipped a robe on, before running through the walls and empty rooms until she reached Lexa's.

Only when she'd skidded to a halt did she realise that she probably should have knocked, given that they were the only people in the house and she knew exactly what she and Lance would have been doing had he been conscious.

Thankfully, although Pietro was there – which wasn't a huge shock – both were asleep and fully dressed.

They looked so peaceful that Kitty felt guilty for disturbing them, but she did so, albeit reluctantly, putting a hand on Lexa's shoulder. "Lex?"

Lexa opened her eyes, startled awake by the contact. "Kitty?" She sat up, careful not to wake her boyfriend. "What's wrong?"

"The baby's kicking."

If Lexa hadn't been awake before, she definitely was now. "What? You're pregnant?"

"Yeah." Kitty looked a bit sheepish. "I thought you knew."

"No!" Lexa put a hand on Kitty's stomach, feeling the thuds below it. "Oh, my God. How long?"

"I'm due September 25th." Kitty answered.

Now she knew, it made sense, Lexa realised. With the training sessions she'd been pushed through, it didn't make sense that Kitty hadn't lost weight.

_No wonder we didn't notice she was ill; the baby was making up for the weight she was losing._

"Is everything okay?" Lexa asked. "I mean, with the training and everything?"

Kitty nodded. "Bella did a scan before they left and everything's fine."

Beside them, Pietro stirred. "What's going on?"

"Kitty's pregnant." Lexa told him.

Like his girlfriend, Pietro was wide awake in seconds. "What? Did Lance know?"

Kitty nodded, taking his hand and pressing it against her stomach so he could feel the baby kick as well. "I'm seven months along …" Her voice broke and they both looked up. "I'm so scared …"

As she dissolved into tears, before Lexa could act, Pietro pulled Kitty into his arms and held her tightly, murmuring soothing words to her.

Although Lexa trusted Pietro entirely, she knew there was something there that she hadn't been told about between him and Kitty, although it seemed that Kitty was oblivious as well.

The two comforted the expectant mother, reminding her that she wasn't alone, that they were both there, and, with a hugs and a few more tears, they were alone again.

"Never a dull moment round here, is there?" Pietro commented with a wry smile.

"Pietro, you and Kitty never dated, did you?" Lexa asked bluntly.

"What?" Pietro laughed. "Me and Kitty? No, never. Aside from anything else, Lance would've killed me." His smile faded and he regarded her curiously. "Why?"

Lexa shrugged. "I don't know. There just seems to be something there."

Pietro sighed. "That obvious, huh?"

Lexa swallowed. "What?"

With another heavy sigh, Pietro laid back down again, pulling her back into his arms. "For a long time, I thought I had feelings for her. Maybe it was the fact that she and Lance were so in love and happy together and I wanted that with someone. Maybe I was in love with her. Maybe I idealised her. I don't know. Any feelings I have for her now are strictly platonic."

"Not wanting to sound clingy," Lexa rested her head on his chest, relaxing into his embrace, "but how do you know you're not still in love with her?"

"Because I'm in love with you." Pietro answered easily. "And only you." He kissed her forehead tenderly. "Only you. I was gone the second I met you."

"You didn't even know me." Lexa pointed out sleepily.

"Didn't need to." Pietro pulled her closer. "I truly believe you're my soul-mate, Lex. I love you."

Lexa tilted her head back to kiss him softly. "I love you too. We should probably get some sleep. Something tells me that life is about to get very complicated round here."

* * *

Over in Egypt, they weren't quite so comfortable. Since Kurt now knew where he was aiming for, he had been able to teleport – assisted by an oxygen tank – into the depths of the sphinx and open up the staircase again. And, thankfully, their purpose served, the giant robot statues that had attacked them the first time were nowhere to be seen.

That was where their luck had … maybe not run out, but definitely come to a grinding halt.

The tunnels below the sphinx seemed to have moved around since the fight in October, leaving them with no sense of direction and no way of finding the centre.

Finally, Cyclops had decided it was time for them to stop and they all pulled out sleeping bags, the three team-leaders setting up a watch rota.

Professor Xavier and Beast were in Cairo, gathering more Intel on the situation and keeping an eye on them from a distance.

Wolverine and Storm were in the jet outside, with Belladonna, ready in case something went wrong.

Jean was sitting against the wall, next to Lucie and Amara, who was rubbing her stomach.

After a few minutes, the redhead sighed. "Magma, is there something you want to tell us?"

Amara shook her head. "Cramps; that's all."

Lucie regarded her curiously. "Amara, don't take this the wrong way, but … you're not pregnant, are you?"

"I can't be." Amara murmured. "We've …"

"Been careful?" Jean finished dryly. "So were we. Tell Jubilee tomorrow morning."

"Jean, I don't know if I am." Amara protested.

"Better safe than sorry." Jean told her firmly.

Amara nodded. "Alright; I'll tell her."

Something moved in the dark tunnel – which was lit only by dimly burning torches courtesy of Pyro and Magma – and the three women stiffened, but relaxed a second later when Todd stepped into the light.

Lucie checked her watch. "You're early." She told him softly. "You've got another hour."

"Couldn't sleep." Todd muttered, sitting down next to her. "Too worried."

"Lance will be fine." Lucie told him positively. She didn't get a response, and didn't push for one, slipping an arm around his shoulders.

"I hope Kitty's doing okay." Jean frowned.

"What about Lance?" Amara asked.

Jean smiled weakly. "Lance and I are twins, Amara. I'd know. But Kitty's got to put up with Pietro and Lexa while her boyfriend's in a coma."

"Are Pietro and Lexa dating then?" Amara asked, sounding surprised. "They kept that quiet."

"Can you blame then?" Jean glanced upwards in the vague direction of the Velocity.

Amara bit her lip worriedly. "You don't think Wolverine would, you know, hurt him if he found out."

"No, I don't." Jean answered, her words more directed towards the two members of the Brotherhood than Amara. "Wolverine might be more protective of her, but he likes Pietro, however much he pretends otherwise. And Lexa could talk him out of anything."

"Pietro adores her." Lucie added. "Even taking Lance out of the equation, I don't envy Kitty; there's no couple on earth who're more likely to make you feel like the third wheel."

**

* * *

September 1999**

The next month or so passed quietly, with no news from Egypt and no change in Lance's condition, but, as Pietro kept repeating, no news was good news.

Two weeks before Kitty's due date, on September 3rd, her water broke. She was standing in the kitchen at the time and her shout woke Lorelai from her nap and brought Pietro and Lexa running.

Lexa took one look at her and told Pietro to take her to hospital and that they'd trade off shifts watching Lorelai.

Every hour, Pietro would run to wherever Lexa was, take her back to wherever he'd been, and then return to his new post – alternating between the labour ward with Kitty and the mansion with Lorelai.

But the baby clearly wasn't one for a swift arrival.

In fact, two days later, on September 5th, Pietro arrived outside the now-private room to find Lexa sitting in one of the chairs, flicking through a magazine.

"Still no baby?" He asked, sitting down next to her.

Lexa shook her head. "Nothing. How's Lorelai?"

"Asleep." Pietro yawned. "I just chased her round the nursery for half an hour and it persuaded her to take a nap. I've got the baby monitor, don't worry." He checked his watch. "It's been forty-seven hours, Lex; what's taking so long?"

"They've got to wait for her cervix to dilate ten centimetres." Lexa answered absently.

Pietro pulled a face, gagging slightly. "Dare I ask how far she is?"

"Three." Lexa smirked.

"Three?" Pietro repeated incredulously. "Three? _I'm_ dilated three! We …"

Lexa stiffened suddenly, putting up a hand to stop him. "Ssh. You hear that?"

"You're the one with enhanced hearing, babe." Pietro reminded her. "What is it?"

Before Lexa could answer, an explosion came from direction of the parking lot outside the hospital, causing the ground to shake beneath them.

"What in God's name …?" Pietro began, jumping to his feet.

Kitty's obstetrician – a young man by the name of Kevin Mitchell who Lexa was sure she'd met before – came running out of her room. "I was afraid this might happen."

"You think Kitty's the target?" Lexa asked worriedly.

"It's not exactly a secret she's here." Dr. Mitchell pointed out.

Lexa bit her lip and looked at Pietro. "What do you think?"

"I think we shouldn't take any chances." Pietro shrugged. "But it's your call."

Lexa turned back to Dr. Mitchell. "We have a fully-stocked infirmary at home; if Pietro can transport us there, would that be alright?"

"Perfectly fine." Dr. Mitchell assured her.

"Right, Pietro, take Kitty first." Lexa told him. "Then come back for us."

"Got it." Pietro didn't even give them time to blink; within seconds, they were standing in the Entrance Hall.

Kitty, still in her hospital gown, was leaning against the wall for support. "How long have I got?"

"At least a couple of hours." Dr. Mitchell told her calmly. "Possibly days. But that's no matter; we can wait."

At that point, Lexa realised just where she'd seen Kevin Mitchell before. "Wait a minute … Didn't you work for HYDRA?"

"Yes, I did." He confirmed.

"When did you leave?" Lexa asked, but she had a sinking feeling that she was being optimistic to the point of naivety.

Mitchell grinned, proving her right. "I didn't."

Lexa groaned. "Why? For the love of all that is good and pure, what do you want from me?"

"You?" Mitchell laughed coldly, a sharp contrast to the warm chortle that had accompanied him for the past couple of days. "Whoever said we wanted you? Project X-23 failed. Project X-24 …" his eyes lingered on Kitty's swollen stomach "… will not."

Kitty took an involuntary step back. "No …"

Lexa unleashed her claws, not even flinching at the pain. "Over my dead body."

Kevin drew a long knife from his belt. "That can be arranged."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lexa saw Pietro step forwards. "Quicksilver, take her to the Danger Room and stay with her." She commanded. "Logan's Run 13."

Pietro hesitated for a split-second, before scooping Kitty into his arms. "Be careful."

"There is another child in this house." Mitchell reminded her coldly, as the two vanished in a gust of wind.

"You'll have to get past me first." Lexa growled, horror coursing through her.

Mitchell smirked sadistically. "I was so hoping you'd say that."

**

* * *

AN: Review please!**


	50. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I do own Lorelai LeBeau, Monica and Joey Summers, Cindy Drake, Baby Alvers and Dr. Mitchell.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty – Aftermath

**September 5****th**** 1999**

"Logan's Run 13; confirmed: Quicksilver, Shadowcat; activate immediately."

As soon as Kitty gave the order, the doors to the Danger Room closed and a soft hum signalled the heightened security.

"What did you just do?" Pietro asked.

"Locked us in here." Kitty told him, taking deep breaths. "Anyone who tries to … get in without the … access codes will be … in big trouble …"

"Who has the access codes?" Pietro frowned.

"Just Lexa …" Kitty grabbed his hand. "Dammit …"

Pietro pushed his thoughts away from the Danger Room for now and wrapped an arm around her waist, helping her sink to the floor. "Just take deep breaths, Kit-Kat; you're alright."

"Pietro, I think the baby's coming …" Kitty whispered shakily.

"Yeah, Kit-Kat, I know." Pietro soothed, brushing the hair out of her face.

"No, the baby's coming now." Kitty repeated. "I think I need to start pushing."

"But … but Lexa said you were only three centimetres dilated or something!" Pietro protested.

"Yeah, well, the other seven just followed!" Kitty let out a groan as another contraction hit her.

"Okay, sweetheart, you need to let go of my hand for second, okay?" Pietro managed to get her to loosen her grip and knelt down, trying not to think too hard about what he was looking at. "Oh crap." He muttered, realising that she was right. "I suppose it's too late to cross your legs and hold it in?"

"Not helping!" Kitty snapped through gritted teeth.

"Okay, breathe … breathe … breathe …" Pietro instructed calmly. "Good girl. Now what do you need me to do?"

"Just guide the baby out." Kitty sighed. "Great; I've got to coach my own midwife."

"Why aren't male assistants called mid-husbands?" Pietro asked rhetorically, trying to follow her instructions without touching … anything. "Okay, there's a head … Oh my God, Kitty, it's huge; how are you doing this?"

"What was the point of that?" Kitty demanded in a yell as another contraction hit her.

"You're doing fine." Pietro assured her. "Just keep going, sweetheart; you're alright. We have a head, shoulders, arms …" he paused "… ten fingers … oh, they're tiny; look at that …"

"Yeah, I'm not really in a position where I can." Kitty reminded him, tensing.

"Right, chest, stomach," Pietro grinned. "It's a boy; definitely a boy! Legs, knees and feet …" He pulled the baby clear instinctively and cradled him as he began crying.

"Is he alright?" Kitty asked weakly.

"He's fine, Kit-Kat." Pietro told her. He tore his eyes away from the baby and his blood ran cold. "Kitty … are you supposed to be bleeding?"

"A little bit … Not much …" Kitty's face was pale and her words were slurred slightly. "I can feel something healing … why is something healing?"

"Kit-Kat, don't panic, but I think something's wrong." Pietro told her calmly, though he was anything but.

Kitty struggled to sit up and settled instead for gesturing him closer. Pietro moved to her side, holding the baby so she could see him.

A smile graced her face and she reached out to touch her son's cheek. "His name's Liam." She murmured. "Liam Daniel Alvers." Her focus shifted to Pietro. "You'll look after him, won't you?"

Liam's screams escalated and Pietro adjusted his grip, trying to soothe him. "Kit-Kat, you're gonna be fine, alright?"

Kitty grasped his hand, her eyes searching his. "Promise me, Pietro. Promise me you'll look after him."

Pietro squeezed her hand. "I promise, Kitty."

Her grip loosened suddenly, her eyes closed and her body relaxed all at once.

"Kitty?" Pressing two shaking fingers against her wrist, Pietro was relieved to find a pulse, but it was weak and feeble. "Oh no. Kitty, don't do this. Please." He stood carefully, still trying to calm the screaming, naked baby in his arms, but before he could do anything, a cool female voice sounded through the Danger Room.

"_Logan's Run 13: overridden."_

Pietro tensed, as the door slid open and Lexa staggered in, Lorelai clinging to her, both of them drenched in blood.

His heart clenched painfully. "Lexa!"

"It's alright." Lexa called, rocking Lorelai soothingly. "It's not our blood."

"Yeah, that makes it all better." Pietro muttered. "Kitty's had the baby; she's bleeding heavily and I don't think she's breathing."

Lexa let Lorelai slide to the floor – though the little girl continued to cling to her leg – and took the baby from Pietro. "Name?" She asked briskly, cutting the cord.

"Liam Daniel Alvers." Pietro repeated.

"Don't just stand there." Lexa chided. "Get Kitty to the hospital; tell them Dr. Mitchell was an undercover agent for a renegade government group and that you're unable to answer any questions. I'll sort this out."

"Lex, what if he wakes up?" Pietro asked.

Lexa refused to meet his gaze. "That's not an issue anymore. Go."

Pietro was worried, but knew Kitty was his priority right now. Scooping her into his arms, he raced off.

Lexa watched them go, then turned her attention to the two children, trying to ignore the pool of blood on the floor. She crouched down so she was eye-level with Lorelai, who was still clutching her pant leg. "Lorie, this is Liam. Auntie Kitty's not very well, sweetheart, so I need you to be a very brave big girl for me. Can you do that?"

Logically, she knew that Lorelai couldn't yet really understand the depth of what was being said to her, but her calm, level tone calmed the young girl enough to coax her into loosening her grip, which allowed Lexa to pick the toddler up and set her on her hip and still manage to hold onto a still screaming Liam. She took the two children to the infirmary and deposited Lorelai into the emergency playpen.

Distracted by the toys, Lorelai settled down to play and Lexa breathed a sigh of relief, before opening the infirmary fridge.

The contents were divided in two. At the top, Belladonna kept various blood samples and medicines, all meticulously labelled and ordered. At the bottom were sterilised bottles of milk, most of it breast milk, but, thankfully, a couple of formula milk, since Jean wasn't always able to feed both twins.

Quickly heating it in a nearby microwave – kept there for that very purpose – Lexa tested checked the temperature and managed to convince Liam to take the bottle.

Once the newborn had been fed and winded and settled down to sleep, Lexa slipped the baby monitor into her pocket and jogged down to the control room.

Inputting the password and data she needed, Lexa found herself gazing at the SHIELD security room, where a solitary guard sat, leaning back in his chair, his feet up on the desk, a cup of coffee in one hand and a magazine in the other, paying absolutely no attention to the monitors.

Lexa rolled her eyes. "Picture of alertness, you are."

Startled, the man fell back off his chair, the coffee spilling down on him. Cursing under his breath, he got to his feet. "Who the hell …?"

"Just tell General Fury that Lexa needs to speak to him, there's a good boy." Lexa told him lazily, propping her feet up. "I'd get yourself a good dry-cleaner while you're at it."

Within minutes, Fury had arrived, but turned almost immediately to roll his eyes at the door. "Dammit, Michaels, you said it was an emergency." He sat down. "Why have you hacked our security system?"

"It was quicker than using the phone-book." Lexa dead-panned. "Why wasn't I informed that HYDRA had restarted the Weapon X project? Or re-restarted, I suppose I should say."

"They've done what?" Fury demanded. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, the agent in our living room who wanted to turn my best friend's son into X-24 might have something to do with it." Lexa answered, trying to stay calm.

Fury sighed, rubbing her temples. "Right, get her to a …"

"Too late." Lexa interrupted. "She had the baby about an hour ago; she's in the hospital."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "What about the agent?"

"Dead." Lexa stated, her voice shaking only slightly. "There was another child in the house; he'd knocked me out. I reached them just as he was about to inject … God only knows what was in that syringe."

"It wouldn't have killed …" Fury began.

"If you think for one second," Lexa said slowly, "that I am going to stand back and let them do this …" she held up her hand and unleashed her claws once more "… to another child, you are sadly mistaken. Do you have any idea how painful it is for a start?" She retracted them and rubbed her knuckles. "What do you want me to do with the body? There's a sentence I never wanted to have to say again."

"First of all, where's the baby?" Fury asked, ignoring her muttered comment.

"Asleep." Lexa held the baby monitor up. "Took me a while, but we got there eventually."

"I thought you weren't a baby person." Fury commented.

"I'm not usually." Lexa admitted. "But … Wait." She suddenly remembered the only time she'd ever said those words. "Did you tap my mother's phone?"

Fury cleared his throat. "It's a security matter."

"Of course it is." Lexa rolled her eyes. "No, I didn't think I was a baby person, but that is beside the point. The point is, I have a dead body in our living room; now what the hell do I do with it?"

Fury pulled out a radio. "This is HQ. Medic required for Xavier Institute, Bayville, New York; we have a DOA."

"_Copied. Flight 807 en route."_

"Copy that." Fury switched the radio off. "All you have to do is wait. And use the damn phone next time!"

"Yes, sir!" Lexa saluted and shut off the connection. She had just reached the entrance hall, the baby monitor still fixed to her belt, when Pietro reappeared, but he wasn't alone. "Oh, hey, Amanda." She looked her over. "Is it raining?"

"No." Amanda answered sarcastically. "I just decided to go swimming with my clothes on." She glanced sideways and paled. "Er … do you two know there's a body in your living room?"

"No, but hum a few bars and I'll give it a shot." Pietro responded.

Lexa swatted his arm with a scowl. "This is _not_ the time for jokes, Pietro. Yes, Amanda, we know and there are people on the way to remove him. Pietro, Liam's asleep in the infirmary and I've left Lorie in the playpen; can you go and watch them please?"

"Sure, hun." Pietro kissed her cheek as he sped away.

"You know, I could've done that." Amanda told her, determinedly turning her back on the living room.

"I know." Lexa smiled, albeit weakly. "But Pietro's worried about me. And the second he asks if I'm okay, I'll fall apart. I don't have time to fall apart; I'll fall apart later."

Amanda chuckled and followed her out of the front door and back into the driving rain. "Is Kurt around?"

"They're all over in Egypt." Lexa told her. "Between us, state secret and all, there's been some strange disturbances round the Sphinx. We're worried it might be Apocalypse again."

"Well, shit." Amanda summarised. "So why aren't you out there."

"I'm looking after Kitty. And Lorelai and Liam." Lexa answered. "Hence the body in the living room. Here they come."

"Where?" Amanda searched the sky. "I can't see anything."

Lexa smirked slightly. "Enhanced senses, remember?" She pointed to the helijet that had just appeared through a gap in the clouds. "Incoming."

"So it is." Amanda nodded.

"Your parents know you're here?" Lexa asked curiously.

"Oh, they know." Amanda smiled humourlessly. "They're not happy, but they know."

Lexa frowned, taking her eyes off the jet to focus on the other girl. "So what was with the whole 'sneaking-around-they-can't-know-where-I-am' thing?"

"Well, back then, they were _really_ unhappy about it." Amanda shrugged. "But that was all. I mean, I knew this cruise was to try and draw me away from Kurt and you guys, but they spent the entire time trying to set me up with different guys we 'accidentally' bumped in to. This morning, after we got back, I told them I wasn't blind and I'd had it. I love Kurt and if they wanted me to stick around now I'm 18, they'd just have to deal with it."

"And they agreed?" Lexa asked, surprised.

Amanda smiled weakly. "No, I need a place to stay."

"Explains the suitcase in the hall." Lexa raised her voice to be heard over the sound of the jet engines. "Well, you know you're always welcome here."

"Thanks." Amanda responded, stepping back with her as the helijet landed, and the hatch opened to reveal two SHIELD agents who jumped out.

Lexa nodded to them. "Afternoon, boys."

Despite her being an ally, it was clear from the way that they leapt to attention that these men clearly saw her as their superior.

Either that, or they were still terrified of her.

Taking into account that they had come to collect a dead body, she guessed it was the latter.

Pretending she hadn't noticed, she led the two men into the mansion, explaining what had happened.

It wasn't until they reached the living room that she stopped, staring at the body in front of her.

After it had happened, she had thought only of getting Lorelai as far away from him as possible; she hadn't looked back or bothered checking a pulse.

She was a HYDRA-trained assassin after all; she knew what it was like to watch the life drain from someone's eyes and he hadn't looked away, still smirking as though she'd just proven them right.

He was lying on his back now, three spots of dark blood on his hospital scrubs, his eyes glassy and unseeing, the ghost of that last smirk on his face.

But HYDRA wasn't right and Lexa wasn't that weapon anymore; as she looked at him, she felt her legs seize up as her companions seemed to vanish, even as one of them caught her arm to steady her.

_What if he's got a wife, waiting for him to come home? What if he's got children? What if his parents had no idea what he did?_

The air around her grew heavy and she struggled for breath.

A cool glass was pressed into her hand and she drank, grateful for the icy water that slid down her throat, freeing the tight constraints around her chest.

The room came back into focus and she realised that she had sunk into one of the armchairs, Amanda hovering at her side, while the agents crouched beside the body.

"Thanks." She whispered. "I don't know what happened."

"You're human." Amanda perched on the arm of the chair. "If I'd just killed someone, I wouldn't be nearly as calm as you."

"I'm not calm." Lexa retorted with a weak smile. "I'm a good actress."

"Uh oh." One of the agents muttered.

"What is it?" Lexa asked, tensing.

"I know his wife." He answered. "She works for us. Oh, she's gonna be pissed."

"Just as long as she doesn't direct that at me." Lexa groaned. "Tell me they haven't got children."

"They don't." He informed her.

"That's good." Lexa murmured.

"She's not gonna want to believe it though." The second agent. "Those cameras work?"

"Yeah." Lexa drained her glass and stood up. "I'll take you down to the security centre."

* * *

"Lex? Lex? Lex? Lexa!"

Curled up on the couch, Lexa didn't hear the first few calls of her name, but the last startled her out of her thoughts and she glanced up to see Pietro crouching next to her, looking concerned. "Hey, sweetheart. Where's Kitty?"

"Infirmary." Pietro answered. "The doctors checked her over; by the time I got her there, the problem had healed itself. Since all they'd be doing is waiting for her to wake up, I discharged her and brought her back here; she'll want to be near her son. Do you think we should call the others?"

Lexa thought for a second. "No." She decided. "They need to stay focused. We've got things covered here."

"Your call." Pietro sat down, putting an arm around her, and she leaned against him. "You okay?"

"I've been better." Lexa admitted in a small voice.

"You did what you had to, Lex." Pietro told her, kissing her forehead. "God only know what would have happened."

"I don't regret it." Lexa whispered. "I mean, I regret that he died. I regret that right now a woman is being told that her husband's not coming home, that he was working against everything she was fighting for. But I don't regret protecting the children."

"I would've done the same thing." Pietro admitted. "Only it wouldn't have been as clean."

"Trained assassin." Lexa reminded him wearily, curling into his side. She was silent for a few minutes, fighting with the need to ask him.

It won.

"Do you think any less of me for killing him?" She blurted out.

Pietro gaped at her for a second. "How could you even think that?" He didn't miss her flinch at the loud question and softened his voice, realising that the day's events had broken through the last of the walls she still insisted on keeping up. "Lexa, he put you in a terrible situation and left you with no choice." He kissed her forehead and helped her up. "C'mon. We should turn in while we can."

"Good point." Lexa slipped her hand into his as they made their way up the staircase. "I feel like I haven't slept in a week."

"More like three days." Pietro corrected with a smirk.

They reached her room and she pushed the door open, letting her hair out of its band. "You gonna stand in the doorway all night, Quicksilver?"

"Just making sure you want me to stay." Pietro responded, as he did every night.

Lexa glanced over her shoulder. "Can I borrow your shirt?"

Without question, Pietro pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it to her. This was a break from their normal routine and he was surprised when she didn't disappear into her bathroom. Instead she turned away from him and pulled her own shirt off.

Pietro would have tried not to focus on the view this presented him with, even if she was facing the other way, just out of respect for her. But he didn't have to try very hard: one long thin white scar stretched diagonally across her back, marring her perfect skin.

A second later, it disappeared as she slid his shirt on, and she slipped her pants off as well, though his shirt was long on her.

Lexa knew he'd seen it, because, however much he'd tried to hide it, she'd caught the sharp intake of breath from behind her. She didn't address it just yet, fiddling with her bra strap beneath the thin cotton, until it parted and she could slip it off.

Even then, she didn't turn to face him, taking care in folding the clothing she'd removed, so she didn't have to meet his gaze.

"Go on." She prompted, when the silence got a little too heavy. "I know you want to say something."

"Why?" Pietro asked in a whisper. He didn't bother asking what had caused it; that was glaringly obvious.

"I don't know." Lexa admitted. "I did … something wrong, in their eyes."

There were soft footsteps behind her and she felt his hand press lightly against her back. "How many times?" His voice was low and filled with an anger she knew wasn't aimed at her.

"I lost count." Lexa whispered. "They were experimenting that time; trying to find some way of slowing my healing abilities. It's the only time it scarred."

"Did Dr. Risman know?" Pietro asked quietly.

"No." Lexa whispered.

"Wolverine?"

"No." Lexa repeated, even quieter. "And I don't want him to."

Pietro put his hands on her waist and turned her to face him, leaning in to kiss her softly. "I love you, Lexa. I am never going to let them hurt you again."

Lexa leaned into his embrace not bothering to point out that she could take care of herself. Though independence was, she knew, sought desperately by most women her age, she had had enough of it and was content to finally have someone to lean on.

**

* * *

AN: Review please!**


	51. Together

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I do own Lorelai LeBeau, Monica and Joey Summers, Cindy Drake and Liam Alvers.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty One – Together

**September 8****th**** 1999**

_Beep … beep … beep … beep … beep … beep …_

"C'mon, Kit-Kat; you got to wake up."

Was she asleep?

It didn't feel like her bed. A bright white light flooded through her eyelids and a continuous, steady beating filled her head.

Her eyes were closed, whether she was asleep or not.

With a groan that refused to escape her, Kitty tried to reach out and turn her alarm clock off, but her arm felt heavy and detached and refused to move.

A hand squeezed hers and she fought to return.

"That's it, Kit-Kat; come back to us." The same voice called softly. "Lexa, she's waking up."

A cool hand pressed against her forehead. "Kitty?"

The bright light dimmed and Kitty's eyes opened, causing Pietro and Lexa's faces to fade into view. "Where am I?" She murmured.

"Infirmary." Lexa answered. "Hospital checked you over, but you did most of the work yourself, so we brought you back here."

"We?" Pietro snorted. "_I_ brought her back here. How d'you feel?"

"Groggy." Kitty rubbed her eyes and suddenly everything came flying back to her; she sat bolt upright with a start. "Where's my baby?"

"He's right over here, Kit-Kat." Pietro told her, getting up. "Come on, Liam; let's go see Mommy."

"Liam?" Kitty repeated. She had contemplated the name a few weeks previously and vaguely remembered the name Liam Daniel appearing in her mind just after she gave birth, but how had Pietro known?

"You told me." Pietro reminded her gently. "Remember?"

Kitty didn't respond; his words seemed to disappear in the air between them; as far as she was concerned, her son was floating towards them and she reached out for him. Liam settled in her arms, just stirring slightly, and she held him close, touching his face softly.

"Hey sweetheart …" She whispered, her voice heavy, and his eyes opened. "Wasn't he born with blue eyes?"

"Yeah, but they changed before the next morning." Lexa told her softly.

Liam's dark brown eyes – just like his father's – blinked a few times, before he opened his mouth and a soft whimpering escaped him.

"He's hungry." Lexa translated. "He's such a good baby, Kitty; never cries if we're awake, and if we're asleep he stops as soon as the light turns on. Do you want a bottle?"

"No, thanks." Kitty answered with a smile, moving a pillow beneath her son's head. She adjusted her gown and sucked in a breath as Liam began to feed. "Wow, this is weird …"

"Good weird?" Lexa asked curiously.

"Wonderful weird." Kitty sighed, before smirking. "But I think I'm freaking your boyfriend out.

Lexa sniggered as she glanced at Pietro, who had his eyes shut tightly and looked like he was about to pass out. "You can look, you know. Liam's head's blocking most of it."

"Yeah, I'm-gonna-tell-Amanda-she's-awake." Pietro told them, disappearing.

"He's what?" Lexa asked.

"He's going to tell Amanda I'm awake." Kitty repeated at normal speed. "I think he took it pretty well, actually. Remember the look on the boys' faces when Anna fed Lorie for the first time?"

Lexa laughed. "Yeah. I'm so glad it happened down here; I'd have hated for you to miss it."

"Her 'ask me questions if you feel uncomfortable' strategy actually worked." Kitty remembered. "I wasn't expecting it to."

"It worked until Jamie." Lexa corrected, unable to keep from smiling. "I can't believe he actually asked if she blew into one, did the other one get bigger." She shook her head. "If it had been anyone else …"

"Yeah, he does tend to get away with murder, doesn't he?" Kitty chuckled. "So what's Amanda doing … Lexa, what's wrong?"

Lexa's face seemed to have drained of all colour. "Nothing; it's nothing."

"Lexa, I wasn't born yesterday." Kitty said softly. "What happened?"

"I …" Lexa swallowed hard. "I've gotta go."

"Now what was all that about?" Kitty asked as Liam released her. She fixed her shirt and sat Liam up, leaning him against her hand, rubbing his back gently. "What's wrong with Auntie Lexa, Liam?"

"She's still in shock." Amanda answered from the doorway.

"Hey." Kitty greeted with a smile, easing Liam back into her arms. "You alright?"

"Yeah. My parents kicked me out." Amanda shrugged. "So here I am."

"Charming." Kitty commented dryly. "You know Kurt's going to blame himself."

"Not if I can help it." Amanda scowled.

"Why is Lexa in shock?" Kitty asked, still gazing at her son.

Amanda sighed and sat down in the chair Pietro had vacated. "Okay. You remember the HYDRA agent."

"Vividly." Kitty muttered, subconsciously shifting Liam to her chest. His tiny hand grabbed her shirt and held it tightly. "What happened to him?"

"Well, he and Lexa fought in the Entrance Hall for most of the time." Amanda told her, having gotten the story from Pietro, who managed to get it out of Lexa the day before. "Then she was knocked unconscious. When she came to, he wasn't there, but she could hear Lorelai screaming. She headed straight there and arrived just as he was about to inject something into her." She held up a hand to stem Kitty's response. "He turned as she ran towards them and her claws basically stabbed him through the heart; he was dead before he hit the ground."

"Oh my God …" Kitty whispered, only her son's presence keeping her from cursing aloud. The words racing through her mind, on the other hand, could have made Wolverine blush.

"Kitty," Pietro said, appearing behind Amanda. "I need your help."

* * *

That evening, Lexa was walking down one of the many hallways of the mansion, when she heard a voice calling her name.

"Lexa!"

Lexa stopped and waited for Kitty to catch up with her. "Should you be out of bed?"

Kitty waved off her concern. "Oh, I'm fine! Listen, Amanda told me what happened; I'm so sorry you got put in that position."

"Why are you sorry?" Lexa asked. "I'm the one that murdered someone."

"I think 'murdered' is too strong a word." Kitty protested. "After all, you saved Lorie's life."

"Yeah, but did I?" Lexa sighed. "I don't know what was in that syringe; it was probably a sedative, for fuck's sake! Is a man's life worth that?"

"That wasn't a man; that was a monster." Kitty stated darkly. "It's like you said; you didn't know. It could've been a sedative, or they could've found a way to reduce the entire grafting process into a single injection." She gave Lexa a quick hug. "You did the right thing. Anyway, that's not why I was looking for you."

"Oh?" Lexa wasn't really surprised; Kitty was one to let things go easily (unless they involved Lance and a certain lack of phone call back in 94), so it didn't make sense that she had sought her out just to talk about what had happened.

"I'd like you to be Liam's godmother." Kitty told her bluntly.

"Really?" Now Lexa was surprised. "Kitty, of course. Who's his godfather?"

Kitty laughed. "Pietro, duh. You even need to ask? The other reason, speaking of Pietro, is he wants you to meet him by the lake. Don't ask me why."

"Okay." Her surprise now melted into confusion, but she didn't show it, returning Kitty's hug and jogging off towards the entrance hall.

Even though it was September, the evenings in Bayville weren't yet cold enough to warrant a jacket. However, the grounds were dark by now, and it was only her enhanced senses that kept her on the path towards the lake.

The lake was behind the Institute and separated it from the forest that straddled the boundaries. It wasn't an enormous body of water, but it was big enough to warrant docks and a boathouse, though neither had been used for their original purpose in years.

As the dock came into view, Lexa stopped dead with a soft gasp. The decking was covered with candles, bathing them in a soft, pale light.

Candles were also dotted out across the water, and Lexa was certain that, if she looked back towards the mansion and looked hard enough, she'd see Kitty in one of the windows, hand outstretched.

But she didn't look, focussing on Pietro, who was standing in front of her.

"What's the occasion?" She asked with a smile.

"What, I need an excuse now?" Pietro grinned, producing a bouquet of roses from behind his back. "Alright. Happy September."

Lexa couldn't help laughing. "Pietro, they're beautiful; thank you." As she admired them, she couldn't help noticing something strange about the one in the middle. "Not that I'm complaining in the slightest, but is there a reason why eleven are real flowers and the last one isn't?"

"Read the card." Pietro prompted, his grin softening.

"What c … oh." Lexa carefully extracted the white card from within the leaves and read it aloud. "I will love you until the last flower dies."

"Too cheesy?" Pietro asked, sounding a little worried.

"A little bit." Lexa admitted, smiling. "But I don't care."

Pietro kissed her forehead. "Did Kitty give you the message?"

"Well, obviously." Lexa rolled her eyes. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"No, the other message." Pietro corrected. He'd never been so grateful that Kitty hadn't lost her extra powers yet.

"What other …" Lexa trailed off and stared over his shoulder as the flickering flames from the candles floating on the water rose into the air and formed into four words that stood out brightly, burning in the night sky.

_Will you marry me?_

Pietro glanced over his shoulder and sent a thank you towards the Institute. "Well, she has now." He looked back to meet her shocked eyes and cupped her face. "I love you, Lex. I know it's only been nine months and I know Wolverine's gonna kill me. But I can't imagine my life without you and I don't want to. So either you're about to make me the happiest man on earth or I've just fucked up the best thing that ever happened to me." He knelt before her, wishing he could read her expression, taking her hands in his. "Marry me, Lexa."

Lexa lowered herself to her knees as well and carefully placed the roses to one side, before kissing him soundly.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take him long to respond, pulling her closer, one hand tangling in her hair, anchoring her mouth to his.

Of course, oxygen only lasts so long and they were soon forced apart, both breathing deeply. Pietro rested his forehead against hers. "Was that a yes?"

Lexa smiled softly as he helped her to her feet. "I love you so much. I can't believe you thought I might say no."

Pietro grinned at her again, but this time it was closer to his trademark smirk. "Well, I didn't want to jinx it."

"You didn't." Lexa felt his hands run up her arms to her shoulders and down her sides to her waist and rest there; sighing contentedly, she rested her head on his chest, once again noticing how much taller he was than her. "Thank you?"

"What are you thanking me for?" Pietro asked, running a hand through her hair. "You made my life worth something again. I should be thanking you."

Lexa leaned back in his arms to meet his eyes. "When I met HYDRA, I never imagined that I would ever have a normal life. I was expecting to get killed taking them out …"

"I know." Pietro murmured. "You told me, remember? Months ago."

"I thought I'd be Weapon X-23 for the rest of my life." Lexa whispered. "When I met you and told you who I … what I was, you did something no one else had even dreamed of doing. You treated me like anyone else. Even though I could see it in your eyes that you were completely freaked out …"

"Oh, that's nothing personal, babe." Pietro interrupted. "Wolverine just scares the shit out of me."

Lexa laughed weakly. "You made me feel normal. When I'm with you, I'm just … Lexa. You saved my life, Pietro; I don't think I'd have coped without you."

Pietro kissed her hard, pulling her close to him again. "Well, I have never been so glad that I over-shot on a run, Lex. I love you."

"I love you too." Lexa murmured, resting her head on his shoulder as he slipped an arm around her waist and guided her back towards the house.

The last couple of days had been proof – as if either needed any more – that nothing could be taken for granted and anything was possible, but they were ready face whatever the future would bring, just as long as they were together.

**

* * *

AN: Okay, one more chapter and I can get the sequel started! Review please!**


	52. All's Fair in Love and War

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I do own Lorelai LeBeau, Monica and Joey Summers, Cindy Drake and Liam Alvers.**

* * *

Chapter Fifty Two – All's Fair in Love and War

**September 9****th**** 1999**

The next morning, the kitchen at the Institute was silent but for the sound of frying bacon. Having been woken up by an insistent Lorelai – upon hearing Pietro's plan, she insisted on hanging on to the baby monitor so they could have a lie-in – Amanda had made her way downstairs and begun cooking breakfast. She set Lorelai up in her highchair and gave her a small piece of bread to keep her quiet while she sorted out the rest of breakfast.

While she broke eggs into a large bowl, Amanda glanced at the calendar, which had a large red star on the square marked _September 23__rd_, the day the others would be returning home. A smaller star two days later on _September 25__th_ marked Kitty's original due date. Searching for a whisk in one of the drawers, she chatted to Lorelai as she worked, occasionally getting a gurgle in response.

"Now we need to be quiet, Lorie, because Auntie Kitty's probably still asleep." Amanda told her. "But Auntie Lexa and Uncle Pietro will be down soon, and they can play with you. That'll be fun, won't it?"

Lorelai began giggling uncontrollably.

"Well, I'm glad one of us finds this funny." Amanda sniggered, her head now inside one of the counter cupboards as she searched. "You know, Lorie, if you really want to talk, you could tell me where they keep the whisks in this place."

"Top drawer; two cabinets to the right."

"Thank you." Amanda moved along and pulled the whisk out. She'd just begun to whisk the eggs and milk together when she realised that an eleven-month-old probably shouldn't be quite so eloquent and spun around to see that the source of Lorelai's giggling was her father, who had plucked her out of her chair and it was Anna who had spoken. "Hey! You're home early."

"Amanda!" There was a _bamf_ of smoke and Kurt was in front of her, hugging her tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Making breakfast." Amanda answered.

"No, I mean what are you doing _here_?" Kurt elaborated.

"Well, I'd look a bit of an idiot making breakfast in the living room, wouldn't I?" Amanda pointed out.

"I think what my brother means," Anna rolled her eyes, "is 'why are you making breakfast here rather than at home?'"

"Well, my parents kinda kicked me out." Amanda explained. "I told them to make choices and … here I am. If that's okay …"

"Of course it's okay." Ororo told her, embracing her in welcome. "You've always been welcome here, Amanda." She glanced behind her. "Now where'd Logan disappear to?"

Amanda paled. "Oh dear."

* * *

As the blanket of sleep slowly lifted, Lexa felt the sunlight filter through her closed eyes and groaned, rolling over to bury her face in Pietro's – fully clothed – chest. As his arms wrapped around her and she breathed in deeply, taking in the scent that was so uniquely him, she never noticed the extra familiar scent on the wind.

That is, until the door burst open.

"What the hell is goin' on?"

Lexa sat bolt upright. "Hey! You're early; what happened?"

"Don't change the subject!" Logan snarled. "What …?"

"Okay, before you get mad," Lexa began, climbing out of bed, "I would just like to point out that we are both fully dressed and nothing inappropriate went on."

"Nothing inappropriate, my ass." Logan scowled. "You're wearing his shirt."

Lexa looked down and winced. "So? By all accounts, Kitty's been sleeping in Lance's shirt since she got here, which, if I'm right, was two years before they even started dating. I borrowed this a couple days ago; the baby spit up on my tank-top. Yes, we've been dating since January, but nothing happened, Wolverine; you know I'm not lying, we can both smell that."

"Alright." Logan conceded, folding his arms. "Go on."

Sensing that he wasn't about to get mauled if he drew attention to himself, Pietro stepped forwards. "I'm not messing around here, Wolverine; Lexa means the world to me. I asked her to marry me last night."

"Please don't kill him." Lexa added, with as close to a pout as she would allow herself to get.

Logan sighed wearily. "Alright. But if you hurt her …"

"I'd die before I did." Pietro interrupted firmly.

Logan fixed him with a stare. "I don't doubt that. Now … wait a second." He narrowed his eyes. "What baby? Lorelai's past the spitting up stage, isn't she?"

Lexa pulled a face. "Well … About that …"

* * *

"Scott, are you sure you want to do this?" Jean asked, hurrying after him as he strode towards the infirmary.

Scott glanced over his shoulder at his wife. "Yes, Jean, I've never been so sure in my life."

Jean slipped her hand into his, forcing him to slow down. "But he's in a coma; he won't be able to hear you."

"I know." Scott grinned wryly. "Part of the reason why I'm doing this now."

"Oh, honestly …" Jean rolled her eyes as they reached the infirmary, but the couple stopped dead in the doorway.

Kitty was sitting at Lance's bedside, which wasn't unusual, but she was cradling a baby, which made no sense, since Jubilee hadn't collected Cindy yet.

The bundle shifted and Kitty smiled. "Hey, Liam." She whispered, her voice only just audible to the two onlookers. "Say hi to Daddy."

"Oh my God …" Jean murmured.

Kitty started slightly and twisted in her chair to face them, hushing the child. Her face relaxed into a smile. "You're early."

"Yeah." Jean waved it off. "Kitty, when … when?"

"September 5th." Kitty answered with a smile. "I found out Christmas day."

"You were early." Jean concluded, her eyes flickering to the monitor Lance was hooked up to as she approached. "How is he?"

"Two weeks early." Kitty confirmed. "They're both fine."

Jean smiled and sat down on the second chair that floated over to them. "What's his name?"

"Liam Daniel Alvers." Kitty answered, smiling down tenderly at her son.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Scott asked.

"Scott, the argument caused by telling you that Lance and I were still _dating_ was enough to cause cramps." Kitty told him bluntly. "Bella basically told me that the emotional stress was more dangerous than the physical stress of the training sessions."

Scott shook of Jean's warning arm and knelt beside Kitty. "Kitty … I'm so sorry."

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done with Scott?"

Scott sighed. "The last couple of months have been eye-opening."

"Sometimes, at night," Jean explained quietly, "we didn't know what would happen, so we didn't sleep. At first, it was when Lucie or Todd or Fred would take watch and the rest of the Brotherhood would stay up as well, just in case. They kept quiet, but then I'd stay up too and Anna … well, she used to be one of them, didn't she? And Jamie was just happy to be involved. Eventually, rather than having one person watch, we had one person sleep and rotated that instead."

"We talked about everything." Scott added. "And I mean everything. We never knew whether we were gonna round a corner the next day and get struck down like trees in a lightning storm."

Kitty pulled a face, adjusting Liam's blankets. "I think I could've come up with a better analogy. So you're admitting you acted like a total prat."

"Kitty, the baby!" Pietro protested from the doorway.

"He's four days old, Pietro; I think we're good." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Hey, do you and Lex know Wolverine's home early?"

"We do now." Pietro rolled his eyes, perching at the end of Lance's bed. "I thought he was going to slaughter me."

Kitty sniggered. "I'm surprised he didn't."

"Thank God for Lexa." Pietro grinned.

Kitty's smile faded. "Yeah, you can say that again."

"Oh no." Jean whispered. "What happened?"

Pietro shifted to wrap an arm around Kitty's shoulders and she leaned into him, silently asking him to answer. "There were … complications with Liam's birth." He explained quietly. "HYDRA faked an attack on the hospital and managed to get an undercover agent in here. Lexa had to take some drastic measures to keep Liam and Lorie safe."

"Pietro stayed with me." Kitty explained. "Ended up playing midwife; I had a small spot of internal bleeding …"

"Small spot?" Pietro repeated. "Kitty, I think you bled less after Apocalypse."

Kitty smiled weakly. "Either way, I owe you one. If you hadn't stayed as calm as you did, I definitely wouldn't have, and I'd probably still be out."

"Kitty, you don't owe me anything." Pietro told her quietly. "You're family. We look out for each other."

Kitty handed Liam to Jean so she could hug him properly. "Thank you. I couldn't have done this without you; you've been the older brother I never had."

"Come on, Kit-Kat." Pietro kissed her forehead. "You'll set me off at this rate."

Jean adjusted Liam in her arms. "Oh, Kitty, he's got Lance's eyes."

"Hey, forget his eyes, that kid's gonna be the spitting image of his father." Pietro told her confidently, kissing Kitty's forehead as he released her. "So how far did you kick Apocalypse's butt this time?"

Scott sighed. "We didn't."

"You mean he's still out there?" Kitty demanded, fighting the urge to pull her son back into her arms.

"No, it was a false alarm." Jean explained, pulling faces at her nephew. "There were definitely signs of activity, but no sign of anyone, least of all him."

"Okay, now I'm getting scared." Kitty stated. "I guess this means more research then?"

"A lot more research." Scott confirmed wearily.

Jean started as Liam made a small noise. "What …?"

"He's hungry." Kitty cut her off.

"He never cries during the day." Pietro added.

"It's alright for some, isn't it?" Jean quipped, handing the child back to his mother.

"I'll get a bottle." Kitty decided. "It's probably easier, since I've got to tell everyone." She pulled one of the bottles out of the fridge and warmed it quickly in her hand. Testing it against her wrist, she persuaded Liam to take it, which didn't take long, and stood up, her son nestled in her arms. "Shall we?"

"We're right behind you, Kit-Kat." Pietro told her, opening the door. "Except, of course, I am currently in front of you."

Kitty chuckled and, to her surprise, so did Scott. Not wanting to jinx it, she didn't mention it. "I swear, Pietro, you don't think the same way the rest of us do."

"Well, of course not." Pietro agreed. "That would be boring."

"You know, it might help if you tried." Kitty told him as the elevator doors closed. "That way the rest of us might be able to follow your train of thought sometimes."

Jean laughed. "It's alright for you, Kitty; you _do_ think the same way." She pushed open the door to the living room. "Hey, everybody! Generation X has a new member."

"What?" Several voices demanded at once.

Kitty smiled, almost giddily. "Yes, they do. Everybody, this is Liam Daniel Alvers."

"You were early?" Belladonna asked, standing up. "Right, I want you to turn right around and go back to the infirmary. I don't care where you gave birth; I want to check you over myself."

"Yes, ma'am." Kitty span on her heel and returned the way she came.

As the room erupted into whispers and murmurs, a sharp whistle tore through the air and everyone jumped, turning to face Lexa.

"Alright!" She announced. "I know it's a shock, people, but get over it. Yes, Kitty had a baby. Yes, it was a boy. Yes, there were a few complications, but they're both perfectly healthy. Did I cover everything?"

"Everything except the psychopath trying to kidnap him." Pietro confirmed.

"Oh yeah." Lexa sighed. "I'd forgotten about him."

"Where is he now?" Anna asked, hoisting Lorelai on to her hip.

"Six feet under." Pietro answered grimly. "Give or take."

Lexa flinched. "Look, it was either that or …" She trailed off, but couldn't prevent her eyes drifting to Lorelai.

"Oh, God." Anna whispered, holding her daughter closer. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Lexa assured her. "I stabbed him through the chest first."

"Thank God." Anna gave her a one-armed hug. "I'm so sorry you had to …"

"Just as long as she's safe." Lexa murmured. As she stepped back, Pietro slipped an arm around her waist and she leaned into him.

Jean couldn't help noticing that this was the first outward sign that they were together, but it was Lucie who asked, "So what's going on with you two?"

Pietro grinned at her and leaned down to kiss Lexa quickly. "Take a guess."

Lorna gasped. "You _are_ dating! I _knew_ it! I _knew_ I wasn't crazy!" She swatted Alex's arm. "I told you they were dating!"

"I didn't argue!" Alex protested, rubbing his arm. "And that hurt!"

"Actually," Pietro said loudly, over the noise, "I asked Lexa to marry me last night."

The room erupted as every female present squealed loudly, causing the men to wince.

"Did you say yes?" Bobby asked, over the noise.

Jubilee rolled her eyes, hanging up the phone. "If she didn't, this is a horrible story."

"Of course I said yes." Lexa sniggered, as Wanda and Lorna hugged her tightly. "What happened out there?"

"Pretty much nothing." Jubilee sighed. "By the sounds of it, you had more excitement here. Mom's dropping Cindy off tomorrow." She added to Bobby.

"Hey, how did Mom take Liam?" Jean asked.

Lexa gasped. "Oh my God, your mother!"

"Kitty phoned, right?" Pietro asked urgently.

Lexa stared at him, wide-eyed. "I don't think she even phoned _her_ parents."

Despite her shock that Kitty would forget something like this, Jean chuckled. "Oh, this should be fun."

* * *

"I've never seen Sara cry like that." Scott shook his head. "And Kitty's parents both looked like they'd been punched. To be honest with you, I don't think they've accepted it yet. But that kid's as cute as hell; he can win anyone over. Even me." He paused. "Can you believe Jean locked me in here?"

Lance didn't answer.

For obvious reasons.

"Ask a silly question." Scott groaned. "I'm going mad. I mean, I know I promised her I'd do this and I know I've put it off for a month and, yeah, I joked about doing this while you were out, so you didn't hear me, but this is ridiculous! And we used to laugh at people who talked to gravestones. At least there's a chance the dead can hear us."

He chuckled. "We were right pricks as kids, weren't we? What happened? Of course, some might say we're still pricks." He amended, answering his own question. "But we were like brothers. And now look at us. We grew up together, man. How did we not recognise each other? I mean, I'd taken a blow to the head; I've got an excuse! But you thought I was dead, didn't you?"

His voice, which had risen, quietened again, leaving only an echo in the silent room.

"I guess Kitty wasn't the only one hiding." Scott murmured. "Sometimes I think you Brotherhood guys are the only ones being true to yourselves." He glared at the door. "I don't know what she thinks this is gonna accomplish. If you ask me, I think she's hoping I'll wake you up, but that's crazy! Unless you'd rather wake up for me than for Kitty and Liam."

Once again, there was no response.

"I didn't think so. Still …" Scott hesitated. "While you're here … and unconscious … I owe you an apology. When Kitty first got here, she was this quiet, almost scared, kid and … I guess that had something do with thinking she'd lost her best friend, but … she became like a little sister to me and … well, I became a bit neurotic about it and … she's started to resent me for it … Hell, Quicksilver's taken my place as big brother now and … that hurts, but … I guess it's no one's fault but my own. And even when all the evidence was on your side, I refused to see reason and … I'm sorry, Lance."

As he stood up to try the door again, this time fully prepared to pick the lock if he had to, Scott froze as he finally got a response.

"You know, Scott, one in every two people is a prat. So if you look around this room and you don't see one, you're it."

Scott turned back with a grin. "I didn't say I didn't see one, Alvers. Figures you'd wake up for that."

Lance sniggered weakly. "Hey, I'm _never_ gonna get you to admit all that again in a million. What'd I miss?"

Scott laughed. "Oh, boy, that's a loaded question. For one …"

The door unlocked with a click and swung open. "Lance!"

Scott moved quickly out of the way as Kitty seemed to throw herself at Lance, who managed to pull himself into a sitting position quickly enough to catch her. "Okay, I don't need to see that."

"Stuff it, Cyke." Kitty stated bluntly, before kissing Lance softly. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine." Lance's hand rested on her stomach and he froze. "Kitty … what …?"

Kitty smiled apologetically. "You've been in a coma for the last three months, Lance, and I was two weeks early. I'll …"

"Don't worry, Kitty; I've got him." Jean interrupted, carrying Liam into the infirmary. She passed the child to his mother, who, in turn, passed him to his father.

Lance stared at Liam like he'd never seen a baby before and Kitty nestled into his side as touched his son's hand with a finger. Liam wriggled slightly and caught hold, squeezing tightly.

Jean sniffed lightly, snuggling into Scott's arms, feeling like she was intruding. _You're not freaking out._

Scott shrugged mentally, feeling a traitorous lump in his throat._ They look like a family._

_Yeah, they do. _Jean agreed. _They are a family._

_You know, if you'd told me we'd be standing here five years ago … _Scott shook his head slowly _… I'd never have believed it._

_Well, you know what they say._ Jean reached up to press a kiss against his jaw. _All's fair in love and war._

**

* * *

AN: Cheesy ending, I know. 'Of Love and Life' will be up soon, once I've finished re-editing the first lot of chapters. Review please!**


	53. AN

**Sequel – 'Of Love and Life' – is now up. Enjoy XD**


End file.
